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Background
The 'occlusion effect' in hearing can be defined as the unpleasant and unnatural amplification of sounds experienced when talking with blocked or partially blocked ears. As a result of the occlusion effect, hearing aid users often complain when fitted with earmoulds or custom instruments with relatively small vent sizes.
To address these issues and manage these individuals, deep fitting can be used in which the earmould or instrument seals in the bony portion of the ear canal or relatively large vents or open fittings are used. However, deeply fitting hearing aids may be rejected due to discomfort, and open fittings limit the useful range of hearing aid processing to higher frequencies and may not be appropriate for people who need some amplification in the low frequencies.
Detail
This project aimed to devise a strategy to address the occlusion effect problem, in order to develop a new approach to hearing aids that improve own-voice naturalness in occluded ears. Active cancellation of bone-conducted sounds inside the ear canal has been shown to improve the occlusion effect.
The approach comprises a microphone and a receiver – both situated in the ear canal – operating in a negative feedback loop to cancel sounds originating from the ear canal, such as own-voice bone-conducted sounds and sounds transmitted through leakages and vents. Because this electronic cancellation mirrors the effect of traditional venting, this solution may be referred to as electronic venting for hearing devices.
Project leadership
![[title]](http://www.hearingcrc.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/profile_260/content/people/profile-mejia.jpg "Dr Jorge Mejia")
Project Team
Gitte Keidser, Harvey Dillon, Michael Fisher, Elizabeth Convery
