Fortunately technology has saved us from such contraptions. Now, hearing aids are commonly electronic devices that are worn on the ear like any other ear phone. The first design of these had a rectangular battery pack that connected to the ear piece with a lengthy wire. The battery pack was usually placed in the user's pocket. This wasn't the best design it turns out as the microphone used to amplify sounds wasn't placed very strategically, often suffering disturbances from the user's clothing. Later in the century, they came up with hearing aids that included a small battery inside the ear piece.

There are several hearing aids for you depending on your specific needs. There are the body worn hearing aids, which were introduced earlier. And then there are behind the ear (BTE) hearing aids, which are situated behind the ear with a specially made ear mold. This is convenient because it allowed the user to still use their natural hearing and at the same time it came out in a variety of colors and designs.

The in the ear (ITE) hearing aids on the other hand are seen custom made to fit the user's ear. Modern models of the ITEs have the ability to regulate and cancel feedback. Like a loud, screeching sound caused by sound leaking out and being amplified again.

There are also in the canal (ITC), mid canal (MIC) and completely in the canal (CIC) types of hearing aids. ITC aids only fill the bottom half of the external ear. MIC and CIC are smaller and usually not visible. They are advised for mild to moderately severe hearing problems.

Bone anchored hearing aids (BAHA) on the other hand are aids that are surgically implanted devices that make pathways of sound out of bone.

In the 50s, there were devices that were catered for those who had problems with both hearing and seeing. They were called eyeglass aids, devices that combined both hearing aids and spectacles. The hearing aids were put in the temple part of the glasses. The problem with the design was that there wasn't a wide range of choices for frames, and one had to wear both the glasses and the hearing aids at the same time, or not at all.