What is a cochlear implant and who can benefit from it's use? At your local hearing center, you can find knowledgeable doctors and lots of information on this ever-improving corrective device.
Adults who develop deafness or children who are born deaf may both benefit from a cochlear implant. Doctors at a local hearing center will be able to determine if this option will be effective based on the reason the individual cannot hear.
What Is a Cochlear Implant?
The implant provides a synthetic ear which connects a speech processor attached to the outside of the head to an electrode which stimulates the auditory nerve inside the ear. The individual parts include:
Microphone: Picks up noises and sounds from outside
Speech Processor: Arranges the sounds from the microphone
Transmitter: Converts the sounds to electric impulses
Electrode Array: Takes the electric impulses and sends them to the auditory nerve
How Does This Implant Work?
Your doctor at the hearing center will be able to provide detailed information on how the cochlear implant works,
and what you can expect from the device once it's inserted. In general, the device is used to bypass the damaged part of the ear so the deaf person's ear can once again distinguish sounds.
For an adult who has heard before, the sounds will be unlike the sounds they learned as they grew up. Once they adapt however, they will be able to associate the new signals with the sounds they used to hear. Often the cochlear implant allows them to communicate once again without visual cues like sign language or lip reading.
Children who have never heard before will have a very different experience adjusting to the implant since these signals are the first type of hearing they've ever experienced. Typically, a child will receive the implant between two and six years old. The surgery is followed by intense therapy which may allow them to acquire the speech and language skills they need to communicate with others.
Who Can Benefit From a Cochlear Implant?
As of December 2010, more than 70,000 individuals have received this amazing device. Roughly 42,000 were adults and 28,000 were children.
Since the success of this implant depends on a variety of factors, candidates will be meeting with many specialists at the hearing center to determine if this type of device will work for them. There are many items to be considered:
Expense: This device requires both surgery and extensive therapy, all of which may or may not be covered by an individual's medical insurance.
Therapy: Learning to hear with this new device requires plenty of hard work, both for those who have heard before and for those who have always been deaf. Some individual's catch onto the process more quickly than others, but for all it takes a considerable amount of time and practice.
Surgery: As with any surgery, there are always some risk factors.
A Look into the Future
As cochlear implants continue to improve, doctors at hearing center locations around the world are studying the results. There are many possibilities for the future. These devices may be able to correct a wider array of problems, and may provide even clearer hearing for those who use them.
