I have heard some rumblings in various places about domes coming coming off in ear canal of some RIC aids. Anyone “hear” anything else about this?
I joined this website solely to comment on this thread and let you know that those rumblings are true! I had the Widex Passion RIC’s last year with a standard domes and it was one of the most traumatizing experiences of my life. I’m 22, in college, with a moderate to severe loss and grew up with the bulky yet effective half shells. I was happy with the half shells but excited to try the new RIC hearing aids, as technology in hearing aids is getting better and better. HOWEVER…every single time I put in the Passion, I felt panicked all day that the domes would get stuck. I’ve never felt such anxiety before. And this was all before they actually got stuck! Before going to bed, I would have to slowly maneuver the dome out and I could actually feel it sliding off the receiver. On two occasions in two months, the plastic piece popped right off in my ear. They go too far into the ear canal to get out yourself so I spent two separate nights in the ER as the doctors contemplated whether or not I needed surgery…!! Fortunately, they were removed without cutting my head open.
This is, most likely, a worst-case scenario (or two) and most people won’t experience what I did. I do have very small ear canals and the audiologist did eventually make me a custom mold, which never got stuck. All I know is, I’ll never go back to any hearing aid, style OR brand, that causes me that much stress and anxiety.
I have had my RITE (RIC) aids now for a month I have not had any issues with the domes coming off. My issues that the domes I have now are to small and my reciever has to be pushed back in as it will back out of the canal. I know this can be taken care of and will be getting the ear grips and a larger dome. My recievers have 3 ridges on them and if the domes are put on the recievers correctly there is no way they can come off. I have replaced my domes once and it was not that easy to remove them.
Domes come off, wax traps come out, hearing aids split.
These things happen - but luckily not too often.
Re domes: They WILL come off if:
- you never change them
- you only partially slide them onto the receiver
- you put them on backwards
- you slide them right over the receiver until they stretch and split
- you put them onto a receiver which is covered with slippery wax
- you wash the domes every night until they simply fall apart
- you use domes from another manufacturer
- you ‘improve’ the domes fit with a sharp knife
- you take them off everyday to check them or poke at them to ‘clean’ them
Use common sense and change the domes (correct size! correct brand!) properly every 2 - 6 weeks and you should be fine.
I am having problems with my reciever staying in place in the left ear the dome seems to be to small. But my dome in the right ear is always in place and when I take it out it is turned inside out. I have 10mm domes ordered and will be glad to try it in my left ear.
And a second question. I do not have the ear grips; should I be asking to get them?
I should note that I was not fitted correctly and the size of the domes were far too large for my ear canals. I have since switched audiologists and have been well taken care of. 
Fizzypop, seems like a Specific phobia you’ve got going on. :) Don’t mess with my ears man!
I do know about other types of anxiety attacks. Just remember, all it is, is too much adrenaline being released into your body. In other words it’s a mechanical body thing. Just a valve that got stuck open causing the anxiety.
After all it’s just a plastic thing stuck in your ear. Just get someone to hook it out.
Hope I’m not being too personal.
I am quite new to all this. I have a pair of Rexton Cobalt 16’s. I have had to get a larger dome for my right ear, (8mm in the left, 10 in the right), as the right one kept migrating out.
My question is about what you have said about replacing them every 2 to 6 weeks. My audiologist has said nothing about the need for regular or periodic replacement of the domes. Then again, I didn’t ask. But being new to all this, I am learning all kinds of new questions that I didn’t know to ask.
Also in regards to the OP. I have noticed every time my audiologist has removed the domes, it seems as though they didn’t just come off without a bit of a pull. She strontly cautioned me to have a firm grip on the RECEIVER and NOT the tube/wire as the effort required to pull the dome off could damage the connection. So with that said, I would think that they would not just come off if they were properly installed and not otherwise damaged.
I was told by my audi to replace the domes about every month or as needed. And I was given 20 sets of domes when I got my aids and also a box of replacement wax stops.