What are CROS hearing aids?

If you’ve heard of CROS hearing aids, but aren’t entirely sure what they are, you’re not alone. The acronym stands for Contralateral Routing of Signals… but what does that mean?

A CROS hearing aid is for people who have lost all hearing in one ear. You wear a normal hearing aid in the functioning ear, then a microphone that looks like a hearing aid in the non-hearing ear.

A BiCROS hearing aid is very similar to a CROS hearing aid, except they’re designed for people who have hearing loss in their ‘good’ ear, too. With a BiCROS system, the aid in your better ear will be programmed to amplify sounds as needed. The bi stands for bilateral.  

These hearing aids are especially good for certain situations. It means you don’t have to ensure people speak to you from one side all the time. You will also be more aware of other noises around you. However, it may still be difficult to hear which direction sound is coming from. It takes time to get used to, so be patient and don’t give up too quickly.

They are available in behind-the-ear models, as well as in-ear, depending on your choice of either NHS or private practice. We provide hearing aids through a remote testing and fitting service. CROS hearing aids are not compatible with the myPhonak app we use, so we are unable to fit this type of hearing aid. If this is the type of hearing aid you currently use or would benefit from, you will need to see an audiologist in person.

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