Have you ever heard of a CROS/BiCROS hearing aid? These are specifically for patients whose hearing loss is so severe in one ear, that a traditional hearing aid would be of no benefit. So, rather than amplifying sound coming into that ear – which the patient would just hear as noise/garble – the CROS/BiCROS system routes all of the sound coming into that ear to the patient’s better ear!
The CROS is for patients who do not have hearing loss in the better ear, and the BiCROS is for patients who do have hearing loss in their better ear. The BiCROS would still amplify all sound going into the better ear, whereas the CROS would just send the signal over. These hearing aids have been an excellent option for patients who still need to hear what is going on all around them. The downside to a CROS/BiCROS hearing aid is that it can be difficult to localize sounds. Since you’re hearing everything through on ear, no matter where the sound came from, it can be difficult to know where a sound, or person, may be. Although, many patients feel that the advantages to a CROS/BiCROS far outweigh this disadvantage!
Starkey offers a CROS/BiCROS in a few different technology levels. They are also available in rechargeable, and even have Bluetooth capabilities! Using an app on your smartphone, you can not only control the volume and settings in your traditional hearing aid, but you are also given some control over the CROS/BiCROS aspect!
If you think that a CROS/BiCROS may be the right hearing aid for you, please contact Gardner Audiology at 1-800-277-1182 or email info@gardneraudiology.com to schedule an appointment!
