Open-fit hearing aids have become a fast growing and popular phenomenon in recent years due to their attractive and comfortable design. Recent technology has seen the development of RIC aids in which the receiver is located in the ear canal at the end of the tubing rather than in the body of the aid and the most commonly used fittings are pre-molded canal fitting (dome) which are available in standard sizes and shapes which may include vents. These instant ear domes are preferred due to their time efficiency and increased comfort as they reduce the perceived occlusion effect.
The subjective occlusion effect can be described as the change in perception of one's own voice when wearing the hearing aid due to retention of transmitted vibrations during vocalization in the external auditory canal by the closed ear molds.
One of the strategies to overcome occlusion effect is venting, So occlusion effect is considered a function of vent characteristics and not a function of the hearing aid style.
Accordingly, this study was designed to assess the acoustics of different types of instant ear domes by estimating the insertion loss of each using Real ear measurements to make the right fitting choice.
RIC: Receiver in the canal