It has been one year since the launch of the Oticon Opn hearing aid and in February Oticon announced the launch of the Opn2 and Opn3. They advised that in April an important update will be released for the Opn range. A little later than expected and today I received official communication that the update is now available. So, what can you expect from this update?
Genie 2 2017.1 – Updated fitting software
New range
This will allow access to the all new miniRITE-T model and BTE PP styles. The Oticon Opn miniRITE-T is the same as the original model but with the added bonus of a T/Loop setting. It is a little larger but also has a more practical volume control, ideal for single sided hearing aid use. The BTE PP is essentially a power version of the hearing aid for those with more severe hearing impairment.
Speech Rescue
This is Oticon’s answer to frequency lowering which we have talked about before. Frequency lowering is useful for accessing high frequency sounds that can’t be reached through traditional amplification methods.
Tinnitus Sound Support
Oticon’s Tinnitus Sound Support has been hyped up for some time now and in the mean time Oticon have produced some fantastic literature for tinnitus counselling. In fact, myself along with a friend and patient of mine (who wears Oticon Opn1) have just started a free support group for individuals with tinnitus called the Tinnitus Rooms. This is based in Greenwich, London and launches on the 13th July. We will be utilising a lot of the materials that Oticon have recently published. The Tinnitus Sound Support feature is a very welcome update and we are excited about implementing it.
FlexMould in 100 and 105
The custom FlexMould’s with in-built power receivers are now available on the Oticon Opn. This once again, broadens their range to allow for individuals with more severe hearing impairment to utilise the Opn technology.
Oticon Opn Firmware 4.0
As well as the new software we are able to update all existing Oticon Opn wearers to the new firmware 4.0. In the past these updates have been quite timely (some taking up to 55 minutes per hearing aid) but on my test hearing aid today it said 13 minutes. As such, you will still need at least a 30 minute appointment to allow enough time to update the hearing aids.
Summary
Oticon have released many new features in this critical update. It unlocks the Opn functionality to its full capacity and should significantly improve patient outcomes. Speech rescue and the tinnitus support features are a welcome feature to the technology portfolio and I look forward to trying them out. The release of the power hearing aid and FlexMould’s also means that those with more severe hearing impairment can now enquire about the Otion Opn.
To find out more about the Oticon Opn contact us today.
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