Limitations of Conventional Hearing Aids: Examining Common Complaints and Issues that Can and Cannot Be Remedied

This article examines and evaluates methods, from an audiologist's perspective, of reducing common complaints with conventional hearing aids and issues such as the occlusion effect, acoustic feedback, discomfort, and insufficient gain. Although often successful, reducing one problem may have the tradeoff of causing another issue. This article is meant to provide information to the reader regarding modern conventional hearing aids, the means to alleviate common problems in the clinic, and when middle ear implants and osseointegrated implants can be beneficial.