Hearing aids are sophisticated medical devices which are designed to collect and specifically amplify sounds that a hearing aid user requires. These are considered Class B (Low to medium risk) medical devices under Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) medical device classification system and Class 1 Medical Devices (Air conduction hearing aids) under The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) of The United States.
Hearing aids are very durable devices which are water resistant, sweat resistant and drop proof from reasonable heights. However they need to be still properly maintained. Very often, audiologists and hearing professionals rely on listening checks to determine of there is an issue with your hearing aid.
This is a very inadequate method for reliability testing the actual functioning level of your hearing aid. Proper tests should be conducted inside a controlled environment, to determine if your hearing aid is functioning properly. What are these tests?
Hearing Aids should be cleaned and cleared rigorously before it is checked. A hearing aid can underperform if it’s receiver (speaker) is blocked by earwax so to prevent such inaccurate readings, hearing aids should be properly cleaned and all foreign particles that affect its output should be removed.
The Listening Lab employs an advanced approach with specialised equipment to clean and clear out all foreign objects such as earwax, sweat, dead skin cells or other oils and solids that could affect the performance of your hearing aid. Only after a thorough cleaning and drying process like this, can we proceed to evaluate your hearing aid’s functioning level.
The hearing device needs to be measured by in a quiet environment and pushed to its maximum setting to see its performance level. To do this, your hearing professional will need a specialised sound chamber to measure the output levels of your hearing aid. Many hearing professionals use a listening check in place of this objective test procedure.
The Listening Lab utilises a purpose-built hearing instrument test chamber to determine the actual performance level of your hearing aid as it is. This is then compared against the specifications of your model of hearing device when it is brand new.
If there is an obvious discrepancy, our systems are able to find out and isolate where the issue with the hearing device might be, and your professional can proceed with a review, repair, or overhaul. Call us today to find out more about our rigorous multipoint service and maintenance approach to your precious hearing aids.