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Hidden hearing aids offer another option for hearing loss

As a cardiologist, Doctor Richard Stein uses his stethoscope all day. But when hearing aids entered the picture, they caused his technique to skip a beat.  "And I had to take out the two hearing aids, put them in my shirt pocket, and put in my stethoscope and examine them. Then take my stethoscope out of my ears, and take out the two hearing aids, and be sure to put them back in the right ears," says cardiologist, Dr. Richard Stein.

This routine resulted in several misplaced aids. So when he heard about a new, completely hidden hearing device called Lyric, he was intrigued. "A Lyric hearing aid, unlike other hearing aids that have external components that people can see, sits entirely in the ear canal," says Dr. Anil Lalwani.

During a five minute, in-office procedure, the device is inserted near the ear drum. Dr. Stein says the first day and half was uncomfortable, but he expected it because he was warned about it.

That feeling goes away in a few days. But its placement in the ear canal may offer better hearing for patients with mild to moderate hearing loss. "It should lead to a more natural sound; it also would require less energy or less amplification because the sound source is so close to the ear drum, as well," says Dr. Lalwani.

The Lyric is purchased as a yearly subscription that starts around $3,000. Instead of replacing batteries, you get a new hearing aid inserted every three to four months. The care associated with the hearing aid comes with a subscription plan, and includes access to audiologists and physicians.

Today about 36 million people in the United States have some degree of hearing loss. Many doctors and audiologists agree, that number is likely to increase in the future because so many people listen to iPods and other music players at high volumes.