Binaural or Monaural
(two aids or one)

Unless there is a medical condition prohibiting the use of a hearing aid in one ear, the best choice is to use two devices. With vision, we see better with both eyes. It's the same with hearing, we hear better with both ears. Hearing from both ears allows us to have a better balance of sound and a better ability to understand in background noise. Typically, the volume needed will be lower. That reduces the chance of feedback. And, most people will experience an improvement in speech discrimination when hearing with both ears.

There are situations where only one aid is appropriate. If, for example, there were little or no usable hearing in one ear, only one aid would be used. For people in very limited communication situations, one aid may also be an acceptable choice.

Some of the advantages of binaural amplification are:

• A better balance and quality of sound.
• Better ability to pick out sounds against background noise.
• Volume can be worn at a lower level, thus reducing feedback.
• A possible increase in clarity of speech.