Open fit hearing aids were originally developed for people with a high frequency hearing loss who feel occluded, or plugged up, if they try to use an in-the-ear or in-the-canal hearing instrument. They also seem to work well with many mild to moderate hearing losses.

For people have a severe hearing loss, the open ear instruments may not be the best choice. They generally do not have as much power as the stronger behind-the-ear hearing aids, and do not deliver as many low frequencies. The low frequencies are reduced because of the open, non-occluding canal.

For those with a mild to moderate, high frequency hearing loss the new open ear instruments may be a wonderful improvement. These are digital hearing aids, and seem to provide a great degree of clarity and crispness, without having to have a lot of mass in your ear canal. The reason they can do this is that most of them use digital feedback suppression to allow the open fitting, without as much of a potential to whistle.

There are so many different brands of hearing instruments, many people are confused as to which would be best for them. Which is the best brand to choose? Actually, it is more important that you choose the correct hearing care professional to work with, rather than the brand. If someone is a great hearing aid fitter, and has been fitting mostly one type open ear instrument, it may be better for you to go with the brand he or she recommends. They have done the research, and are familiar with the programming software for their preferred brand. There is a learning curve with each manufacturers hearing instruments and programming software, and it is best not to be the very first person the fitter is delivering an unfamiliar hearing aid to.

Since a major portion of the cost of todays hearing instruments goes towards the follow up care and fine tuning of the hearing instrument, it only makes sense to choose a hearing healthcare profession with a great degree of competency and experience. If you are unsure, ask for referrals from friends who are hearing aid users who are pleased with the care they are receiving.