CROS and BiCROS Hearing Aids: Solutions for Single-Sided Deafness and Asymmetrical Hearing Loss
Understanding CROS and BiCROS Hearing Aids
CROS (Contralateral Routing of Signal) and BiCROS (Bilateral Contralateral Routing of Signal) hearing aids are specialized devices designed for individuals with single-sided deafness (SSD) or asymmetrical hearing loss. These hearing aids improve sound awareness and speech understanding by routing sound from the poorer-hearing ear to the better-hearing ear.
Who Benefits from CROS and BiCROS Hearing Aids?
CROS Hearing Aids:
- Single-Sided Deafness (SSD): Individuals with severe to profound or unaidable hearing loss in one ear and normal hearing in the other ear benefit from CROS hearing aids. The CROS system picks up sound from the poorer-hearing ear and transmits it to the better-hearing ear, allowing the user to perceive sounds coming from all directions.
BiCROS Hearing Aids:
- Asymmetrical Hearing Loss: Individuals with profound or unaidable hearing loss in one ear and mild to severe hearing loss in the other ear benefit from BiCROS hearing aids. The BiCROS system picks up sound from the non-hearing ear, amplifies it, and transmits it to the better-hearing ear, which also receives amplification.