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stunthamsterio 8 hours ago

I've got moderate to severe SSHL and use an Oticon intent 1 miniRite. For my use it's been very good - long last battery, relatively robust. It also has excellent bluetooth connectivity, so I often use it to stream audiobooks in tedious meetings.

In terms of hearing quality, for me, it's been solid, with the caveat that it took a while to get the fitting right. I think my audiologist was a bit old school, and was sticking to settings he'd known to be good in the past rather than fitting for what the aid is capable of. I've recently had its prescription type updated to the native Oticon one, and it's been a revelation in terms of clarity.

My hearing loss is relatively recent (About four years now) so I will caveat this that I've only used Oticons, so can't really compare to anything else.

SapporoChris 8 hours ago | parent [-]

Thank you for the new acronym. Sudden sensorineural (“inner ear”) hearing loss (SSHL), commonly known as sudden deafness, is an unexplained, rapid loss of hearing either all at once or over a few days. SSHL happens because there is something wrong with the sensory organs of the inner ear. Sudden deafness frequently affects only one ear. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/sudden-deafness To save some people time if they were wondering.

stunthamsterio 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Good catch - I should have expanded on the acronym, especially as was referring to my hearing loss being Single Sided Hearing Loss, so already easy to confuse (Although as you point out, SSHL often presents as single sided deafness). In my case, I had sudden loss of balance with subsequent hearing loss. I spent well over six weeks suffering from bouts of severe rotational vertigo, which once passed, never returned, but took a hefty chunk of my left side hearing with it.

The hearing aid has certainly given me back most of what I loss, but it took some time to come to terms with losing my hearing on that side.

stonecharioteer 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I wrote about losing my left ear completely to SSHL 6 years ago.

https://stonecharioteer.com/writing/2019/the-sound-of-music/

https://stonecharioteer.com/writing/2020/ear-one/