Benefits of Cochlear Implants - Who Can Gain the Most?

Cochlear implants, unlike the typical hearing aids that amplify sound, deliver the sound signals directly to the hearing nerve (also known as auditory nerve) by bypassing the damaged parts of the ear.

This electronic device is implanted for the people who have undergone severe inner-ear damage and they work by partially or fully restoring the hearing.

How cochlear implants work?

Cochlear is an electric sound processing device and it is implanted behind the ear. This processor receives sound signals and sends them to the receiver that is implanted under the skin behind the ear.

These signals will be sent to the electrodes that are planted inside the cochlea, the snail-shaped part inside the ear. The stimulated auditory nerve, then, sends these sound signals to the brain to interpret them and to give a sense of hearing.

Cochlear implants are employed in the cases of severe inner ear damage and the child or person needs time to get used to these sounds although the sound is not like the regular sounds.

However in most cases, these implants would be extremely beneficial. People gain significant improvements in terms of hearing and understanding after at least a year of training.

Benefits of cochlear implants - Who gains the most?

Cochlear implants are recommended when a person has sensorineural hearing loss (single-sided or bilateral). Both children and adults who are unable to communicate properly could get benefits from these implants.

Like any other medical condition, cochlear implants are beneficial if the hearing issue is found in the early days of childhood. The sooner, the better! 

Continue reading the blog to know the benefits of cochlear implants, the pros and the cons of them.

• Early implantation drives better results in children, especially if they are implanted between 12-18 months of age as it is when children develop learning skills.
• There is no particular time slot for elders who have suffered single-sided or bilateral hearing loss.
• The ENT specialists will evaluate the preliminary psychocognitive test results for adults and determine the further proceedings.
• If the person has suffered bilateral or hearing loss in both years, one implant will be done first and the second one will take months (sometimes years) for implantation.

Why is it not for everyone?

Considering the full-length advantages of cochlear implants it, indeed, is an angel for children and adults suffering from hearing loss. But this is a solution that depends on so many considerations. Your ear specialist could rule out this solution in the following conditions.

• The ENT surgeons can bypass the damaged ear but in cases where the auditory nerve got damaged, this device falls short. However, solutions such as brainstem implants are employed in such cases.
• If the health condition of the person does not support him/her to undergo the surgery, it is not possible for the implants.
• Cochlear implant, alone, does not suffice in order to restore the hearing ability of a person. They need to undergo training sessions regularly and the support from the ENT hospital and even from the family will be the deciding factors in the whole effort.

What are the pros of cochlear implants?

• Speaking ability in children can be considerably improved with training sessions that include lip reading, sign-language study and sessions to enhance communication and speech perception.
• Many children show significant improvement in listening and their learning and development skills get improved as well.
• The person can control his/her tone and tonality and communicate better with the others.
• The person can pick up sounds without much or any difficulty, including the low to medium sounds.

What are the cons?

Like any medical surgery that is performed to enhance a life-skill such as speech, hearing, cochlear implants have few cons.

• The implant may impact the facial nerve
• Few people report ringing in the ear (tinnitus)
• Few experience reduced balancing function
• Maintenance of implants is an ongoing process

Conclusion

The results of cochlear implants will vary person to person depending on the severity of the inner ear damage. With a thorough diagnostic analysis, if performed by the best ENT specialists at a fully-equipped and advanced ENT hospital, cochlear implants can be life-changing!