In the ear (ITE)

An in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aid is custom made in two styles — one that fills most of the bowl-shaped area of your outer ear (full shell) and one that fills only the lower part (half shell). Both are helpful for people with mild to severe hearing loss.

An in-the-ear hearing aid:

• Includes features that don't fit on smaller style hearing aids, such as a volume control
• May be easier to handle
• Uses a larger battery for longer battery life
• Is susceptible to earwax clogging the speaker
• May pick up more wind noise than smaller devices
• Is more visible in the ear than smaller devices