Cochlear implants are medical devices that, bypassing damaged structures in the inner ear, directly stimulate the auditory nerve. They are surgically implanted to improve hearing in people with severe or profound hearing losses. They can create a range of sound, but do not replace normal hearing.
Cochlear implants are not indicated for all hard of hearing or deaf people. They are not recommended in people who function well with hearing aids.
Cochlear implants can be provided for children as young as 18 months old, as well as adults.
It is customary to implant only one ear.
To be considered for a cochlear implant, you will need to receive an evaluation by a physician and audiologist associated with a cochlear implant clinic.
Ideal candidates are motivated to work hard in their rehabilitation after surgery. It helps to have good family support and to live close to a clinic in order to conveniently make the follow-up trips for therapy.
Cochlear implant performance varies. People hear better over time with practice. It takes a while to get used to hearing sounds in a new way. Also, adjustments (called "mapping") can be made by a trained audiologist to the speech processor to help improve hearing.
Speech processors are computers worn on the person and can come in a body pack - about the size of a deck of cards. Some more recent cochlear implants are miniaturized to the size of a behind-the-ear hearing aid.
Use of the phone varies among individuals. Some people plug into the speech processor directly. Others hold the phoneup to the ear, while others are not able to use the phone comfortably after their implant.
Cochlear implants are expensive (over 30K) and not covered by all insurance plans. Medicare covers cochlear implants. Research shows that they improve the quality of life and are therefore cost-effective interventions.
A variety of assistive devices can be combined with cochlear implants to improve their effectiveness. For example, patch cords can connect speech processors to assistive listening devices. Also a directional hand-held microphone can be used to improve speech pick-up in noisy environment.
