I have a hearing loss in both ears, but one ear is deaf and I have been told a hearing aid will not work on that side. What are my options for better hearing?

If you have a hearing loss in both ears, it is best to use two hearing aids if possible. However, if the hearing in one ear is too poor to benefit from a hearing aid, you still have options. Some people choose to use a single instrument in the better ear. A drawback of doing that is the individual will have no awareness of sound on the side of the head with worse hearing.

To provide awareness of sound from both sides a BiCROS arrangement is helpful. With this system, a hearing aid is used in the ear with the better hearing, while a pick-up microphone is placed on the ear with the poorer hearing. The microphone sends sound wirelessly from the worse side to the better ear.

Although this arrangement will not help you determine the direction from which the sound is coming, you will be alerted to speech and environmental sounds coming from all around. The most current BiCROS devices are rechargeable, to keep you hearing your best without frequent battery replacement.

For more information about BiCROS devices, contact our office.

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