Cochlear implants are electronic devices that replace the function of the damaged inner ear and differ from the traditional hearing aid. Hearing aids make sounds louder where cochlear implants do the work of damaged parts of the inner ear, such as the cochlea, to provide sound signals to the brain. A medical researcher named Dr. William F. House went against a lot of skepticism to invent the cochlear implant because it would be the first device able to restore a human sense.
The actual implant has an external part that sits behind the ear and is slightly larger than a normal behind-the-ear hearing aid. It has a second part that is surgically implanted under the skin. There is a microphone that will pick up sounds from the environment and a speech processor that will select and arrange sounds that the microphone picks up. There is a transmitter and receiver/stimulator that will receive signals from the speech processor and will convert them into electrical impulses and a group of electrodes called an electrode array that will collect the impulses from the stimulator and will transmit them to different regions of the auditory nerve.
Normal hearing function is not restored by a cochlear implant. Rather, a deaf person can get useful representation of sounds in the environment that will enable them to understand speech. People who have a CI can better understand speech in person or over the phone better than they did with a hearing aid. Sounds around them are better understood too, like telephones, doorbells and alarms. Speech in noisy environments is easier to pick up and music can be enjoyed again for many.
Children and adults with sensorineural hearing loss can benefit from a cochlear implant. This type of hearing loss occurs when the tiny hair cells in your inner ear are damaged. This part of the inner ear is called the cochlea. These tiny hairs are designed to pick up vibrations of sounds in the environment and send them to the brain via the auditory nerve. If they are damaged, sounds cannot reach that nerve. The cochlear implant is designed to skip the hair cells that are damaged and will send the signals directly to the auditory nerve. Cochlear implants also help people hear speech at close to normal levels or understand speech without having to read lips. Different levels of sound from soft, medium and loud can be picked up and they have better control of their own voice so it’s easier for others to understand them.
Cochlear implants can be beneficial for children and can be done as young as age one. The sooner the better as children are exposed to sounds during this critical period of time when they are learning speech and language skills. Children who have a CI before 18 months of age have major improvements in their hearing, speaking and learning but are helpful in older children too.
Good candidates for cochlear implants are those who have severe to profound hearing loss in both ears and those who have experienced hearing loss after they have already learned speech and language. If hearing aids offer limited help and there is a strong desire to hear better, cochlear implants just might be the answer. Contact ENT Specialists for a consultation today!
