I recently read some brands advertise tinnitus alleviating, or some such. Is that a thing? Does it work?

Some brands advertise invisible hearing aids. Is that realistic or mere Madison Avenue?

Brands to avoid? Caveats? Suggestions?

thanks

Huh?

Rexton behind-the-ears here with moderate to bad tinnitus. My experience is that I notice it FAR less than when I'm not wearing them.

As far as the "invisible" ones, yes, many outfits make in-the-ear aids that you really can't see (you can't hardly see the behind-the-ear ones either FWIW). Having tried them out, I found that the sound quality was much worse than the behind-the-ear model that I have.

Check out Costco. Good prices and they'll let you try out different models. If you don't like them, you can return them within 6 months for full cost.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Gustofer,

Costco is a good place to start, inner ear types are pretty much invisible, there is over the ear and flush with the outside available also.
Tinnitus is pretty much impossible to get rid of, hearing aids will help some people more than others. I've had them for over 20 years now, overall my hearing is better with them.

Phonak BTE aids here.

IMO, nothing eliminates tinnitus, but hearing aids allow you to focus on external sounds and reduce the impact.

I’ve been wearing hearing aids since 1999. I’ve had the Behind-The-Ear (BTE) types, but as I wear glasses they were a huge PITA to me, so my last few pairs have all been in-ear types. I agree with PHPaul that I haven’t noticed any huge change in my tinnitus, only that being able to hear better allows you to focus less on the tinnitus and more on your environment. My current aids are high-quality Signia Insio Charge-n-Go AX In-The-Canal (ITC) Bluetooth rechargeable. Not sure what they cost as the VA provides mine. Mine are obvious in my ears resembling ear buds.

Signia also makes a model they advertise as Ivisible-In-The-Canal (IIC) which no one would be able to see without looking directly into you ear canal.

I went with the rechargeable ones, so they can’t really get them as small. The Completely-In-The-Canal (CIC) and IIC use Size 10 batteries so they can make them very small.


Phonak and Starkey are also good brands that our local VA likes to prescribe.

Recently replaced battery powered BTE hearing aids with Jabra rechargeable from Costco.

Both pairs helped quiet my tinnitus. Both had apps for my phone to adjust volume, background noise etc.

Very happy with Jabra so far.

All the Old Goat Coffee Association members who wear hearing aids seem to agree that Costco is the place to go for the best results and deal.

I got mine through the VA. I'm totally deaf in my left ear and have MASSIVE ringing 24/7 in the right. They do help, the only issues I have is I hear noises in my truck I didn't hear before and the batteries die before I get home from work.
Mine are Phonaks

quote:

Originally posted by Biker_dude:
I recently read some brands advertise tinnitus alleviating, or some such. Is that a thing? Does it work?

Some brands advertise invisible hearing aids. Is that realistic or mere Madison Avenue?

Brands to avoid? Caveats? Suggestions?

thanks

WHAT?

I have hearing aids and I have tinnitus. I have been wearing hearing aids for about 3 years. I wear Oticon hearing aids that I purchased through my audiologist. They have worked for me but I am certain newer options have better technology.

On the question of tinnitus. My audiologist told me that some people have a significant reduction is tinnitus when they wear hearing aids but there are no hearing aids that claim a reduction (yet). I am not one of the fortunate. I have experienced a minor reduction of tinnitus but it remains a constant companion albeit one I can ignore most of the time.

I have recently bought hearing aids, but so far don't use them much. I started with Signias, then switched to Widex which have much better sound.
As noted above, the "invisible" models have multiple disadvantages, and only if your ego prevents you from letting people know you wear aids should you consider them IMO.

The receiver-in-canal models offer all the features I need; batteries last longer and are easy to recharge; and are scarcely noticeable to others.

I can't speak to the tinnitus issue.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Phonak BTE aids here.

IMO, nothing eliminates tinnitus, but hearing aids allow you to focus on external sounds and reduce the impact.

That's what I have and he is correct about the tinnitus.

Don't deal with tinnitus so can't help with that part. I've worn behind the ear aids since 2016. They definitely help with conversations and hearing the TV. Crowded noisy spaces are still impossible. They aren't that noticeable. Just a small wire going into the ear. I went to two audiologists and then Costco. The test results were the same. Costco put me in a pair of hearing aids similar to what the audiologists were pushing for a third of the price. I need a new set. It doesn't seem like the direct to consumer sales model has yielded much difference. The Apple ear pods new hearing aid feature is promising but the battery life lags. I need more than 6.5 on a charge.

I have tinnitus in both ears in two different pitches. My Phonak (VA issued)hearing aid doesn’t do anything for it. My left ear is the one that I use the aid for, it allows me to hear people talking, but the ringing is there with or without the hearing aid.

I’ve a unique hearing loss and have BAHA (Bone Anchor Hearing Aid) and have a mode to enable background sounds (white noise) to change your focus and minimize tinnitus. And these are one of the most advanced hearing aids with DSPs and wide range of programming options. They do not know when the tinnitus is active in your hearing loop and automatically activate background sounds.

Your audiologist will make the adjustments based on your loss. You may need an additional visit or 2 to get them setup to your liking.

Glad for this thread, I am almost at the point of buying some.

Yeah, I’ve seen some tinnitus relief products out there, and honestly, it can be hit or miss. I tried a few myself, and while some helped a little, others didn’t do much at all. It’s best to look for reviews from actual users rather than just what the ads say. As for invisible hearing aids, they can definitely work for people with mild to moderate hearing loss; my uncle uses one and loves how discreet it is. Just be careful and make sure to get a proper fitting—brands like Phonak and Oticon seem to get a lot of positive feedback. But before jumping in, it’s always a good idea to chat with an audiologist to get their advice.

Never suffered with tinnitus. I've had mine for a year now, and feel like I'm sitting at the bottom of a pool when I don't have them on. For the first pair I decided to go whole hog and found an Audiologist who performs Real Ear Measurements. I chose the lower level technology Starkey aids. A probe tube in put in your ear to measure exactly what the hearing aids are producing. Turns out I have moderate loss bordering on severe hearing loss at certain frequencies. In my case I required rehabilitation. I was started out and then turned up gradually of a period of 6 months. Every time I was turned up it took a couple of weeks to get used to it. If I would have walked out the first day at my prescription level it would have been very uncomfortable.

If and when these crap out I might go the Costco route, but I'd recommend for your first pair go to an Audiologist who performs Best Practices and Real Ear Measurements. Its surprising how many hearing aids joints do not. I had to go to Colorado Springs to find one who did. Yes, its expensive but your are not just paying for the technology. You are also paying for the care you'll require for the next year or so to make sure you and the aids are performing up to standards. Everyone is different but with my level of hearing loss I'm glad I went the way I did.

^^^^. My Costco employs licensed Audiologists. My initial exam took nearly two hours. I'm not positive exactly what all he measured, but it was a painfully long process. I'm quite happy with the service. The free parts and cleaning is kind of nice too.