There are still people who they resist using hearing aids for aesthetic reasons. They believe that they are very big and conspicuous and are overcome by an insurmountable feeling of shame. However, this stigma currently has little basis, since the very evolution of hearing aids, increasingly smaller and more discreet, and even in fun colors for the little ones, allows us to break any previous prejudice. And more considering that It is one of the most effective hearing solutions.
As we pointed out in the introduction, the evolution of hearing aids is constant. And thanks to new technologies, these are increasingly More smalls and, therefore, more discreet. In addition, they offer better sound. Far, very far away, is the image of that kind of ear trumpet introduced by the French mathematician Jean Leurechon during the 18th century. It could be understood then that its use generated shame in many of its users, but now the situation is completely opposite.
The big change came at the beginning of the 20th century with the first electric hearing aidswhich involved a significant size reductionwhich was accentuated when they became laptops thanks to the introduction of transistors starting in 1950.
The second big change came with the microchipswhich further reduced the size of the hearing aids, as well as allowing improve its performance. And the last revolution has been digitalwhich makes many hearing aids even imperceptible at first glance.
The number of hearing aid users increases
Although the percentage of Europeans who report having hearing loss has remained stable for ten years, what does increase is the proportion of those affected who say they use hearing aids. The figures are illustrative of this: according to the EuroTrak studiesdriven by the European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (EHIMA)the use of this type of hearing solutions has increased from 33.1% in 2009 to 41.6 in 2018. In the case of the use of two hearing aids (binaural adjustment), the percentage has increased from 55% in 2009 to 67% in 2018.
The doctor Juan Royocommunity specialist Living the Soundconsiders that one of the reasons for this increase in the number of users of these hearing solutions is precisely that “They are technologically superior, their features are greater and their comfort of use and satisfaction with the hearing they provide are palpable in the most modern models”.
