Are you interested in types of hearing aids for unilateral hearing loss and single sided
deafness? In this video, I’m talking about 3 possible solutions. Coming up!
Hi, I'm Dr. Derek - audiologist, audio engineer, and musician with Pro Fit Hearing.com bringing
you the best insight in today's latest hearing aids, headphones, and audio technology to
improve your life. If you have concerns about your hearing, always consult with your
local physician or audiologist.
Today, I’m talking about 3 types of hearing aids for unilateral hearing loss and single
sided deafness. Make sure to watch until the end of the video where I’ll discuss one
more possible technology solution. Remember, if you experience hearing loss in one ear
make sure to consult with your physician as soon as possible.
The first types of hearing aids that I’ll discuss today rely on monaural hearing. This
means that sound is sent from the side with hearing loss wirelessly over to the normal or better
hearing ear. Usually, these types of hearing solutions are reserved for people who have
hearing loss that's severe enough in one ear that a traditional hearing aid does not
provide adequate benefit. Your audiologist can discuss whether this is an appropriate
solution for you.
#1 CROS Hearing Aid
The first type of hearing aid for unilateral hearing loss and single sided deafness is
the CROS hearing aid. CROS stands for Contralateral Routing Of Signal. A CROS hearing aid picks
up the sound on the side with hearing loss and sends it wirelessly to the normal hearing,
opposite ear.
#2 BiCROS Hearing Aid
The second type of hearing aid for unilateral hearing loss and single sided deafness is
the BiCROS hearing aid. BiCROS stands for Bilateral Contralateral Routing Of Signal.
It's designed for people who have hearing loss in both ears. Just like with the CROS
system this also wirelessly sends sound from the worse ear to the better ear, however the
better ear is also receiving amplified sound to accommodate for its hearing loss.
#3 Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA)
A third type of hearing aid for unilateral hearing loss and single sided deafness is
the bone anchored hearing aid or BAHA. This system is different than the CROS and BiCROS,
because it uses bone conducted sound. It's a small device that sits behind the ear, and
it vibrates against the bone. This bone conducted sound transmits through the skull from the
side of the bad ear to the good ear.
A BAHA device can be secured into place with a headband (for children) or with surgical
implantation into the bone. This often results in a metal post implanted into the bone or
a magnetic implant positioned just under the skin. Bone anchored hearing aids are also
used for conductive and mixed hearing loss.
One More Option
Ok, so now I’ll discuss another possible technology solution for hearing loss in one
ear. It allows for binaural hearing, or hearing from both ears. Up to this point, I’ve covered
monaural hearing aid solutions that send sound from the bad ear to the good ear. However,
being able to hear from both ears can improve sound awareness, sound localization, and speech
understanding.
In 2019, the FDA approved the MED-EL Synchrony and Synchrony 2 cochlear implants for treatment
of single sided deafness and asymmetrical hearing loss. A cochlear implant is surgically
inserted into the inner ear. This completely bypasses the normal hearing mechanism and
stimulates the auditory nerve directly with an electrode array. The sound quality with
a cochlear implant is very different from normal hearing, but the brain gradually learns
to adapt over time to make sense of all the new auditory input that is receives from a
cochlear implant.
In addition to certain audiological criteria, there must be limited benefit from an appropriately
adjusted hearing aid in the ear to be implanted. An Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor (or ENT) as
well as your audiologist can evaluate your hearing and determine whether this is an appropriate
treatment for your specific needs. For more information on the use of a cochlear implant
for single sided deafness and asymmetrical hearing loss, make sure to check out the
link in the description below for candidacy criteria.
If you’re looking for more information on hearing aids like CROS, BiCROS, or BAHA, please
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So, what technology option discussed today surprised you the most? Let me know in the
comments below. Please like, share and subscribe if you enjoyed this video. Check out the
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Pro Fit Hearing community! Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video.