Hearing aid feedback is the high‑pitched whistle or squeal that may occur when the hearing aid speaker feeds back into its microphone, creating a feedback loop. It is similar to what happens when too many people on the same video call are in one room with all their microphones on!
Why does hearing aid feedback occur?
Feedback most often occurs because the placement, or fit, of the hearing aid in your ear isn't correct. This causes the sound from the hearing aid's speaker to leak from the ear into the microphone. There are a few ways your hearing care provider can help you fix this problem:
How to fix hearing aid feedback
- Make sure your hearing aids are inserted correctly. If your behind-the-ear hearing aid dome isn’t fully in your ear canal, or if your in-the-canal hearing aid doesn’t have a proper seal, sound can “leak” out and be picked up by the outer microphone. If you’re experiencing feedback, give your hearing aids a quick push to make sure they’re seated all the way in your ear where they should be.
- Check for earwax. Earwax can cause the sound from your hearing aid to move unexpectedly, so be sure your ears are clean and see your provider for wax removal if necessary.
- Give your hearing aids a thorough cleaning. If it’s been a while since you cleaned your hearing aids and replaced the wax traps and domes, try refreshing everything and see if things sound better. If you’re a HearingLife customer, stop by during our daily walk-in hours for a free cleaning.
- Volume. Sometimes your hearing aids can be too loud and the sound can leak out of your hearing aid. You should talk to your hearing care provider to see what adjustments can be made. They might suggest custom molds for your devices or make programming adjustments.
If your hearing aids are more than 3 years old, ask your hearing care provider if it’s time to replace your hearing aids with new ones. Especially for those with mild to moderate hearing loss, newer devices offer exceptional feedback-reduction capabilities. However, most of the time, hearing aid feedback is caused by the fit of the hearing aid.
If you’d like to see what the latest technology has to offer, schedule a free hearing aid demonstration at your local HearingLife. We would love to show you how far hearing technology has come.
