| Our five senses give us the ability to enjoy the daily | | | | office and that eliminated the need for the |
| beauty that surrounds us. The value of hearing, seeing, | | | | manufacturer to get involved after the hearing aid was |
| smelling, tasting and feeling are often taken for granted | | | | produced and sold. |
| until one or more of those important tools start to | | | | Purchasing an instant-fit hearing aid is like buying off |
| deteriorate in some way. The ability to hear, as well as | | | | the rack clothing. Minor adjustments might have to be |
| to see make life experiences more rewarding and | | | | made after the purchase, but the cost advantage is |
| certainly more enjoyable. The partial loss of hearing | | | | greater than buying custom made clothing. The |
| dramatically changes how life is perceived and choices | | | | instant-fit technology in hearing aids is here to stay. |
| that were once made quickly, become an effort due | | | | Manufacturers are improving their quality and |
| to hearing loss. Hearing aids have been around for | | | | performance. Consumers are taking advantage of |
| centuries in some form, but most people found them | | | | their lower retail price. Custom hearing aids will still be |
| bulky, burdensome and annoying. People who decided | | | | important in the hearing loss market, because not |
| to use expensive custom fitted hearing aids, found | | | | everyone has a normal size ear canal. If the ear canal |
| themselves waiting weeks for it to be ready and then | | | | is abnormally shaped or is very small, a custom hearing |
| it would have to be adjusted from time to time, in | | | | aid with a factory customized shell is the only option at |
| order for it to function properly. New technology in | | | | this point. |
| hearing aids has solved those problems by introducing | | | | If the ear canal is a normal size, the choice between a |
| instant-fit hearing aids. | | | | custom fit or instant-fit hearing aid comes down to |
| Instant-fit hearing aids are usually in-the-ear hearing | | | | where the consumer wants to spend the money. An |
| aids although they don’t have to be. They are | | | | instant-fit hearing aid's digital signal processing devise |
| manufactured using an automated assembly system | | | | can be put into a custom made hearing aid, but the |
| and are built with standard housings and are covered | | | | cost is much higher. Some instant-fit hearing aids also |
| with soft flexible ear tips that vary in size. Instead of | | | | have ear tips that are disposable. These ear tips have |
| customizing the hearing aid in the factory, the instant-fit | | | | been designed to collect cerumen and as long as the |
| hearing aid is customized in the hearing specialist’s | | | | consumer has the ability to change the ear tips, they |
| office. Instant-fit hearing aids have been going through | | | | are another option. The disposable ear tips may be |
| the development stage for the last ten years. The first | | | | less expensive in the short term, but for long term use |
| step was to create digital programmable aids, which | | | | a non-disposable instant-fit hearing aid is still the better |
| allowed the hearing specialist to adjust the electro | | | | choice. Instant-fit hearing aids will continue to improve |
| acoustics in the office. The next step was using | | | | and drop in price as the technology advances. With all |
| pre-made cores and soft sleeves which eliminated the | | | | the development taking place in hearing aids, the |
| need for the costly hard-plastic hearing aid shells. | | | | designer versions of instant-fits must be just a sound |
| When those two steps were achieved, the hearing aid | | | | away. |
| specialist could adjust and fit the hearing aid in the | | | | |