Why Real Ear Measurement Is Important in Hearing Aid Fittings

When it comes to wearing hearing aids, an accurate ear fitting is usually required to allow your audiologist to get the correct measurement to allow for a better fit and experience for the wearer. As everyone’s ears are unique, the way we hear sounds is too. The two ears on an individual will be slightly different, much like a person’s fingerprints. This makes getting a real ear measurement during a hearing aid fitting is vital in the hearing aid purchasing process.

What Does Real Ear Measurement Mean?

Simply, real ear measurement means that the level of your hearing aid is determined by methods that choose the sound level from inside your ear rather than relying on technology and manufacturer device settings to guess the correct level for hearing loss. Hearing loss is unique in each person, and while general or recommended settings can be helpful as a guide, they aren’t replacements for determining exact programs based on the patient’s needs. Research suggests that patients who have their hearing aids programmed using real ear measurement equipment prefer the settings of their hearing aids over those who have not.

What Happens During Real Ear Measurement

To measure the volume of your hearing aid across a wide range of frequencies and pitches, you must insert a probe tube into your ear canal. This is referred to as real ear measurement or probe microphone measurement. For the most part, it allows the audiologist to determine how much volume you’re receiving from your hearing aid on a pitch-by-pitch basis. The sound is then calibrated before fitting the hearing aid turned off. From here, hearing aid software will help the audiologist find the best level of sound by playing noises at different decibels to see how the hearing reacts to different levels while taking in feedback from the wearer. This allows for much better sound quality at a comfortable level. The following reasons explain why real ear measurement during your hearing aid fitting is essential.

Sound Level

Despite all the technology involved in creating intricate hearing devices, nothing can compare with getting precise hearing levels when the hearing aid is in your ear and close to the eardrum. Independent of the quality of the hearing aid or style you have chosen, real ear measurements allow your audiologist to assess the sound quality and level of hearing when in use to program the aid correctly.

Protect Residual Hearing

It is possible to collect real ear measurement data by measuring, testing and recording the sound produced by hearing aids in your ear canal. Your audiologist can use this type of data to demonstrate that hearing aids are helping you hear the sounds you need to hear while also restricting your ability to hear louder sounds. This helps to protect further any residual hearing you may have as hearing aids can produce loud sounds that can damage your current hearing levels. This should be avoided, and real ear measurements during your hearing aid fitting will allow the sound level to be correctly programmed.

Improved Experience

Having hearing aids fitted can be a worrying time for some people. However, using real ear measurement during hearing aid fittings can allow for a better and more complete experience during the fitting itself. Allowing the patient to feel more relaxed and confident that their hearing aid is calibrated correctly will mean they can experience fewer issues once leaving the appointment. There are always adjustment periods when patients are taking the time to get used to wearing the hearing aid itself and experiencing new sounds, they may be unfamiliar with. This is entirely normal and to be expected. However, suppose the sound level isn’t correct or incompatible with the wearer and their current level of residual hearing. In that case, this can result in more follow-up appointments for adjustments than if real ear measurements were carried out initially. And the better the patient’s experience, the more confident they will be in your services and treatment.

Why Real Ear Measurement Is Important

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and American Academy of Audiology (AAA) recommend real ear measurement as a preferred method of verifying the performance of hearing aids. If an audiologist relies on the device’s manufacturer’s software, they are going with a best guess unless actual measurements are taken. The software uses gains settings based on an audiogram and can potentially lead to incorrect settings when being used. To find out more about why we recommend real ear measurements during your hearing aid fitting, contact EarTech Audiology at (866) 464-1008 today.