Hearing Aid History Through The Years

As you go through a typical work day, consider everyone you speak to: the person who makes your morning coffee; the receptionist at your workplace; your co-workers on the job site; and everyone with whom you come in contact and interact. Have you ever stopped to think that one of those people might be wearing a hearing aid?

In fact, chances are that you encounter someone who is hard of hearing in your everyday life. This person uses a hearing aid to fit in just like everybody else. Today's hearing aids are so small, you probably would never notice them in the people around you. It hasn't always been that way.

Early Hearing Aids

You have probably seen an old black-and-white film where an old person held a horn up to their ear to use as a hearing aid. History shows us that these devices were the butt of many a joke in early films or television programs. These old hearing aids must not have been very effective; the people using them were always saying, "What?"

Fortunately, hearing aid history moved beyond these big trumpet-like devices. The next generation of hearing aids used transistor radio technology, with a device worn on the body. These aids were a vast improvement over the trumpets and horns of yesteryear. However, they were still bulky, and individuals who needed hearing aids complained that they were uncomfortable to wear.

Behind The Ear Devices And Later

As technology advanced, hearing aids became smaller. History shows that hearing aids were first worn behind the ear, and later inside the ear and in the ear canal. Today, there are even implantable hearing aids, which truly are invisible.

History Of Hearing Aid Perception

Hearing aids have come a long way in terms of their perception. They have come from the old-fashioned hearing aids that were ridiculed to being worn with dignity by a sitting president. Presidential hearing aid history includes President Ronald Reagan and President Bill Clinton, two presidents of very different ages who both wore hearing aids.

Future Of Hearing Aids

Considering advances in technology, and the ability of science to shrink useful items, the hearing aid of the future is likely to be an implantable device or even a surgical procedure, like the Lasik eye surgery that has become such a popular remedy for nearsightedness. As long as people need help with their hearing, hearing aid development will continue, and hearing aid history will march on.