Why Real Ear Measurement is Important in Hearing Aid Fittings

Has your audiologist recently asked you to relax in front of a strange computer while they conducted various measurements on your hearing aids? Don't be confused about it, as it's for a good reason. Everyone's ear canal is different. Some may have smaller and narrow canals. Others may be a little deeper or larger than average. 

In most cases, no two ears may be the same, even on the same individual. This variation allows your ears to be different from others in terms of acoustics. The difference in your ears' measurements and hearing capacity also means that the sound coming from your hearing aid may not be similar to what an average ear may receive. That is why an audiologist will take your real ear measurement, including your specific ear canal shape, length and size. 

What is Real Ear Measurement?

Before proceeding, it's important to understand what real ear measurement means. Real ear measurement simply means measuring the sound pressure level in a patient's ear canal, which is developed when they wear a hearing aid. This type of measurement is the recommended and preferred method of verifying the performance of a hearing aid. 

But why is it so important in a hearing aid fitting?

It's the Best Way to Determine the Sound Level

Without the data from a real ear measurement, your audiologist might have to rely on guesswork to determine whether your hearing aid device is amplifying the correct amount of sound into your ears. The ability or feature needed to measure sound level is not part of a hearing aid's software. That's why audiologists resort to real ear measurements. 

It Helps Audiologists to Know How Best to Program a Hearing Aid

A real ear measurement also helps an audiologist identify the best way to program a hearing aid for your specific needs. Hearing aid styles vary greatly in shape and size, which means your sound and listening experience can change depending on which type of hearing aid you select. The most common hearing aid styles include:

• In the ear (ITE)
• Behind the ear (BTE)
• In the canal (ITC)
• Completely in canal (CIC)
• Invisible in canal (IIC)

Real ear measurements will help the audiologist recommend the best features and sound profiles for you to get the most natural listening experience when wearing your device.

It Gives Enough Data to Help Determine the Amplification Limits of Louder Sounds

You probably know by now that wearing a hearing aid does not automatically mean that your natural hearing will improve or that your hearing will get better on its own. That's because a hearing aid works by amplifying sound through a three-part system which includes a microphone, an amplifier and a speaker.

A real ear measurement will help your audiologist limit how your device amplifies louder sounds. This is because when sound is amplified, loud noises can reach damaging levels that can easily harm your hearing. Therefore, a real ear measurement helps conserve your residual hearing so you don't lose it entirely. 

With the help of a real ear measurement, an audiologist can test, measure and record the sound produced by the hearing aid in your ear canal. The data will help assure you and your audiologist that not only is your hearing aid allowing you to hear the sounds you need to hear, but it is also limiting how louder sounds or noises are amplified. 

Apart from preventing too much sound, performing this measurement during an initial fitting process will help ensure that your device's amplification level is also not too low. And this is particularly important when you already have significant trouble hearing sound, even with your hearing aid device on. This way, your audiologist can be certain that you're receiving just the right level of amplification – not too little and also not too much. 

It Helps in Making Adjustments to Hearing Aids

The data from a real ear measurement can also tell your audiologist if your hearing aid is weak or not working as it should and needs repairing. It also enables your audiologist to give you a more visual illustration of how much sound you are not receiving in terms of amplification from your hearing aid device. 

At Gavin Audiology and Hearing Aids, we always take advantage of real ear measurements to help improve your hearing aid performance and your hearing quality. Please do not hesitate to contact us today at (914) 610-3440 to learn more about our services.