7 years ago I was asked to Beta test a new product, a new style of hearing aid called an IIC or Invisible-in-Canal hearing aid. It was, and is, the smallest, deepest-fit daily wear hearing aid on the market. Prior to that time, the CIC or Completely-in-Canal hearing aid was the smallest.
Up until I was asked to help test the product, only one doctor in the world had been using IICs with patients and the manufacturer determined it had been successful in Alpha testing, so more information was needed prior to releasing it nation wide.
I was the first practitioner in Colorado to have an IIC made for a patient. It was a more difficult and complicated process than anything I had done previously due to the difficulties involved with taking ultra-deep ear mold impressions and all the data that needed to be collected and reported back to be manufacturer.
Today it has become a very popular option for individuals looking for a truly invisible, digital, custom programmable hearing aid.
However, many audiologists and hearing aid dispensers I have spoken with about IICs in the past 7 years have never had a successful IIC fitting and will steer patients away from them. The reasons vary, but generally it is due to the extra time and skill necessary to make a perfect ear mold impression.
The picture above shows 3 devices along with a penny and dime for size reference. The top black device with the R on it is an IIC for the right ear of a patient. The two lower devices belong to the same patient and are labeled R and L for the right and left ear, respectively.
About four years ago, the patient came to me after losing the right aid once and the left aid TWICE (it was remade once and lost again.) The right aid was remade once after falling out and being lost, but still was not fitting satisfactorily.
The patient had lost confidence in her audiologist and was looking for help because the aids just did not fit correctly. She visited several other practitioners her only option was a larger in-ear custom aid or a behind the ear device. She was desperate and determined to have invisible hearing aids, but only only one manufacturer could produce them.
After a lengthy consultation, I explained that I was confident I knew the source of the problem, and I could fix it.
My solution was simply to make a better, deeper earmold impression, and that was exactly what I did.
The bottom two devices are the shells of aids that I had made for her.
All 3 devices are the same technology made by the same manufacturer, using the same components. The only difference is the ear-mold impression I took vs. that of the previous audiologist.
Since that time I have had many successful IIC fittings and continue to fit them when appropriate.
Today’s IICs are made with even smaller components, meaning more individuals are candidates; are available with the ability to wirelessly connect to audio from televisions, stereos, phones and other electronic devices for improved clarity and understanding; can even be adjusted via a remote control for even greater real time customization; and have built in programmable tinnitus masker to help eliminate tinnitus symptoms including ringing, hissing, humming and other sounds.
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