"In the past 16 to 24 months, I have seen more changes than I ever have before," says Christopher M. Eckert, an audiologist with Hearing Unlimited, a firm with four locations in the area.

Not only are the machines getting more sophisticated; researchers at Allegheny General Hospital and other sites are looking to push the technology a step further. Todd Hillman, a neurotologist at Allegheny General on the North Side, says his Pittsburgh Ear private practice is involved in the development of implantable hearing aids.

They would be located under the skin behind the ear, where hearing aids often are located today, but their near-invisibility would remove some of the stigma of the devices, he says.

"They are many, many years away," he says.

In the meantime, work from firms such as Switzerland-based Phonak, Germany's Siemans and Starkey Laboratories of Minnesota are continually advancing the technologically.

Some facts:

Experts agree it is possible to get a good hearing aid for about $1,700, but the average price tends to be $2,200 to $2,500 per unit.

Hearing aids now can be tuned to deal with the specific tones that are being missed and can feature an adaptive directionality that acts to block background noises. In the past, "fixed direction" devices required wearers to shut off a mircophone to shoot down competitive sound.

Other devices, such as those made by ClearSounds Communications of Illinois, deal with other aspects of hearing loss. Their Wake & Shake alarm clock, for instance, can stir a sleeper when the hearing aid is not being worn with a flashing light or a pad that fits below the mattress and provides a wake-up vibration.
Although hearing aids require the advice of an audiologist or a physician, other devices are accessible online or in stores.

"Our biggest challenge is to reach enough people and let them know that this stuff is out here," says Michele Ahlman, president of ClearSounds Communications, a 25-year-old firm that specializes in telephones and other devices for the hearing impaired.

Another product, designed for the person who has some hearing deficiency but does not have a hearing aid, is ClearSounds' T.V. Ears. It gives the user the ability to adjust volume to a personal level and not bother others in the room.

"The telephone is the No. 1 most-used device in the house, and the television is No. 2," she says. "This allows people to share time, to enjoy time together."

That company's equipment goes from about $70 for the alarm clock to $300 for special telephones.

Eckert says the technological advancements mean "you get a lot more for your $1,700 than you might have five years ago."

Professionals dealing with hearing aids tend to agree that behind-the-ear devices, the most familiar ones, also are the most resented. The tend to be more visible and make the person's hearing problem harder to conceal.

The smallest hearing aids reside completely in the ear canal and are visible only upon close inspection, but the closeness between the mechanics and the workings of the ear can create uncomfortable feedback.

Eckert points to new behind-the-ear devices by the Phonak company that are so small, they tend to be hidden.

Of course, prices can go up with new equipment.

When Larry Brown, of Ross, bought his ultra-small Phonak hearing aids recently, he paid $5,500.

"But they are totally worth it," he says.

By Bob Karlovits
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/health/s_436575.html