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Home ⟩ Hearing Aids ⟩ Completely In Canal

CIC hearing aids

CIC hearing aids, or Completely In the Canal hearing aids, are designed to sit inside your ear rather than behind it, making them  some of the most discreet hearing aids available today.

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Completely-in-canal hearing aid.

What are CIC hearing aids?

Completely In the Canal means that the hearing aid sits inside your ear, at the entrance of the ear canal. It has a custom-moulded shell to ensure it is secure and fitted comfortably to the contours of your ear. While CIC hearing aids do not offer as much power as some larger behind-the-ear aids, they are still packed with amazing technology, making them a great choice for all levels of hearing loss if they suit your ear anatomy and requirements.

Due to the fact they are fitted inside your ear, CIC hearing aids are one of the smallest and most discreet types of aid available. They are extremely difficult to see unless someone looks straight into your ear canal, so they are virtually unnoticeable – only invisible hearing aids are smaller.

Learn about different types of hearing aids

Why choose CIC hearing aids

  • Clear sound direction – As CIC hearing aids sit down within your ear canal, the outer ear is still able to identify sound directionality as it normally would, without artificial assistance.
  • Natural sound – Due to where CIC hearing aids sit within your ear, sound is collected from the outer ear and funnelled towards the aid, which interacts with the eardrum to give a more natural sound.
  • Comfortable – Completely In the Canal hearing aids are very small and custom-made, so they are perfectly tailored to sit comfortably within your ear.
Close-up on a person's ear wearing a completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aid.

Are CIC hearing aids discreet?

CIC hearing aids are not only small, but they are discreet as well – due to their size, some allow for all adjustments to be made through an external controller (such as your smartphone), so you do not always need to put your hand to your ear.

Our range of CIC hearing aids

 

Completely In Canal Starkey Genesis AI CIC 312.

Starkey Genesis AI

Designed to provide individuals with hearing loss with a superior listening experience.

Learn more about Genesis AI

Choose the right CIC hearing aids for you

If you think CIC hearing aids might be a good choice for you, why not book a free hearing aid review at your local hearing centre?

Our expert audiologist will discuss your lifestyle needs and personal preferences, carry out a free assessment to check your current hearing levels and help you find your most suitable hearing aids. To book, call us on 0800 52 00 546 or click below to book online.

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FAQs

Our CIC hearing aids are available to purchase as part of our Hearing Care Packages, which include all your follow-up checks, consumables (such as batteries) and ongoing support. Your audiologist will help you find the most suitable package for your needs. You may also wish to spread the cost of your new aids, interest-free, with our Hear Now, Pay Later payment plan.

Venting is used to avoid occlusion of the ear, which causes you to feel as though your own voice is too loud, or that your ear is blocked. As they fill the ear canal, Completely In Canal hearing aids can sometimes cause occlusion, but most can be vented to help prevent this. It is rare that they are not.

CIC hearing aids can support people with all levels of hearing loss, depending on the type of loss. However, they can be difficult to fit comfortably if you have particularly small ear canals, so the anatomy of your ear can affect their suitability. They can also be quite fiddly to maintain due to their small size, so may not be a good choice for those with dexterity issues.

While not as small as invisible hearing aids, CIC hearing aids are the second smallest type of aid available and  extremely difficult for other people to see, unless they look directly into your ear. 

A handful of CIC hearing aids currently have Bluetooth connectivity, but they are exceptions rather than the norm. The majority do not have Bluetooth. However, some do have wireless connectivity to allow them to pair with a phone app, but not full Bluetooth functionality.

Most CIC hearing aids are not currently rechargeable. As with Bluetooth, there are a few exceptions, but on the whole CIC hearing aids still run on single-use replaceable batteries.