Hello everyone, Emily here!
I'm so glad you're on my channel today. In this video we're going to discuss the difference
between a RIC, and a BTE hearing aid, I'm going to cover what those abbreviations stand
for and why the hearing aids are different.
If you're new to my channel, I am Emily, I have a bilateral moderate to severe congenital
sensorineural hearing loss, that means my hearing loss is genetic and I've had it since
birth, I feel like I can really relate to people with hearing loss because I have one
myself, so I created this channel to generate awareness for the deaf and hard of hearing,
you can help me accomplish this mission by liking this video and subscribing down below.
I'll continue to make more great content and I want you to be the first to hear about it
so I want to start off by showing you both models of hearing aids, I have worn both types
the RIC and the BTE, this is the RIC and this is the BTE right off the bat, you notice the
BTE is bigger than the RIC. RIC stands for receiver in the canal.
This means that the receiver chip, the speaker that processes the sound is in the canal of
the hearing aid so actually in your mold, this is different for the BTE because the BTE
has the receiver chip in the back part of the ear.
This enables more space for the speaker and it enables the hearing aid to have more power
in RIC hearing aid the receiver is connected to the rest of the hearing aid processor through
a wire, which is right here on a BTE hearing aid,
the sound is processed in the back of the hearing aid and goes down the tube into the ear,
there are alternative names for the RIC or the receiver in the canal hearing aid other
acronyms for the hearing aid include RIE, and that stands for receiver in the ear.
In addition to RIT receiver in the *canal* ear, those all stand for a RIC hearing aid.
Okay, now that we understand the differences between the two hearing aids, let's talk about
the pros and cons of each. For the RIC hearing aid for me personally, maintenance is a big
issue for me, because the receiver is in the canal, it's really difficult to clean these
hearing aids, because the processor is actually in the mold so the only way I can clean these
is with a disinfectant wipe and it doesn't feel very effective.
Another thing is these hearing aids are so small that it is easy to forget that you're
wearing them, I have actually jumped into a pool wearing these hearing aids. Talk about about forgetting
that I had a hearing loss, I quickly, quickly remembered that I had hearing aids in my ears,
as far as pros, it is small, it's harder to see some people like non discreet hearing
aids and prefer the smaller size however you should not sacrifice size and power for meeting
your hearing needs.
Okay, let's talk about the BTE hearing aids that behind the ear pros, are that this hearing
aid is powerful it is made to amplify that sound for moderately severe, severe profound
hearing losses.
Now, this hearing aid can't solve all hearing losses.
That's why we have cochlear implants and lots of different hearing devices but this one
is relatively more powerful.
This means these hearing aids typically have more features more fine tuning options they can
block out noise they have apps, Bluetooth connectivity, That's not to say that RIC hearing aids
don't have that these hearing aids just typically are a higher power, stronger, hearing aid.
Another pro of these hearing aids is that they are in my opinion, easier to clean so
I have the mold I'm able to detach the mold from the BTE or electronic part of the hearing
aid and wash this mold submerge it in soap and water as you can see, mine's a little
yellow is is totally normal.
so it's really nice to be able to wash my molds and that reduces the itchiness in the
ear. As far as cons for the BTE, they are bigger, they are more noticeable, I don't
mind that though, because I've lived with a hearing loss my whole life, I don't know any better.
I wonder if that makes it easier for me to cope with my loss, I'd love to hear if you
have a hearing loss down below let me know.
Is it easy or hard for you to cope with your hearing loss. For me I feel like it's relatively
easier because like I said I've had it my whole life so I was initially put in a RIC
hearing aid.
This did not have enough power for my hearing so I was moved up to a BTE, and this seems
to do the job.
I love the Bluetooth connectivity, and this is a ReSound Enzo 3D.
I specifically chose white because I did not want it to blend in with
my brown hair so when my hair is up, you can see my hearing aids really well as far as feedback
for both of these hearing aids, it varies, I haven't noticed that one does not feedback
more than the other, the biggest indicator of feedback for me was the mold, because I
have a bilateral loss, I've had a lot of experience with molds, I was initially fitted with a hard
resin mold which is this, this one's hard, you can kind of hear that, and then
this one is squishy silicone so I was initially fitted with this hard one.
And I had so much feedback that we created a silicone mold for my RIC hearing aid, and
that really reduced the feedback as far as the BTE, I haven't experienced a lot of feedback
but this also, you just want to check your molds and make sure that they're working properly,
and that your hearings aids are calibrated properly because that could be the source of the feedback
so as far as feedback for both of these hearing aids is pretty much the same it just comes
down to mold fitting.
All right, there you have it now you know the differences between a RIC and a BTE hearing
aid.
If you have any questions please leave them for me down below.
I'd love to hear them. Again, I'm not a licensed audiologist but I've used both, and I love
both, and it's fun to see the differences.
I'm so glad you stuck around to the end of this video, I want to tell you, the next thing
that should ultimately determine whether or not you get a RIC or BTE is your hearing
loss and your audiologist will recommend what is best for you based on your loss, but I will
say, please please please please.
This is more of a request and and say, but please make sure you get the right hearing
aid for you, like I said I didn't know for the longest time that it was not recommended
that I be in a RIC, I couldn't hear well enough but I didn't know that so be sure to have
the right hearing aid for you and ask your audiologist "Is this correct hearing aid for
my hearing loss?" like I said earlier, typically moderate to severe, severe losses are good
for BTE. RICs are great options for people that have normal hearing slight hearing losses
and moderate losses depending on what the audiologist recommends check with your audiologist
So in some cases you might have the option.
Take your pick which one do you want, I want to hear in the comments below.
I'm so glad you stuck around, please like this video and subscribe to my channel I look
forward to seeing you again on my channel for the next video, I hope you have a great
day.