Hearing loss can hamper your social skills and make you feel isolated even when you’re surrounded by people. The first step to correcting this situation is to set up an appointment for a hearing test. This will help determine the severity of your hearing loss and what type of Costco hearing aid is best suited to you.

Hearing aids work by amplifying sounds in your ear. Some hearing aids also have noise cancellation features that do not absorb ambient sounds such as the wind, traffic etc.

Costco hearing aids can be broadly categorized as inside the ear and outside the ear hearing aids.

Inside the ear Hearing Aids: This can be further categorized as In the canal and In the ear hearing aids.

• In the canal hearing aids are beneficial in cases of mild to moderate deafness. These types of hearing aids may be custom molded to fit entirely within the ear canal or fitted to sit inside the ear canal with a small portion outside it. In most cases, given the small size of these hearing aids, they are virtually invisible but do not have many additional features such as volume control etc.

• In the ear hearing aids can take up the entire or part of the bowl-shaped area in the outer ear. These can be used in cases of hearing loss ranging from mild to severe. Though they are larger and hence more visible, they are easy to maneuver and have an easily accessible battery compartment and volume controls. This type of hearing aids also uses larger batteries that have a longer life than in the canal hearing aids.

Outside the ear hearing aids: These can be further categorized as behind the ear and open fitted hearing aids.

• Behind the ear hearing aids typically have a separate receiver and amplifier that are connected by a thin tube or wire. The receiver rests behind the ear and the amplifier is fitted inside the ear canal. These are typically used in cases of moderate to profound hearing loss. This type of hearing aid is capable of high levels of sound amplification but may also pick up a lot of ambient sounds.

• Mild to moderately severe hearing loss can be addressed with open fitted hearing aids. It is a variation of the behind the ear type of hearing aids but does not completely block the ear canal. Thus, it allows low frequency sounds to enter the ear normally and amplifies only high frequency sounds. Unlike behind the ear hearing aids they also do not make your own voice sound unnatural.

The earlier you address your hearing loss the easier and faster it is to adjust to a hearing aid. Hence, do not wait to start lip reading before you get a Costco hearing aid.