Understand the Benefits of Cochlear Implants and What to Expect at Your Evaluation
Do you find yourself straining to hear or missing out on conversations, even with hearing aids? With certain types of hearing loss, sound amplification alone may not be enough to reconnect you to the world around you. Sound clarity is another essential component of speech comprehension, and a cochlear implant can help enhance not only the volume but the quality of sounds around you.
What is a Cochlear Implant?
A cochlear implant is a small, powerful device that can significantly increase sound clarity for people with severe-to-profound hearing loss. The device features an external piece that sits behind the ear and an internal piece that is surgically implanted beneath the skin.
Externally, cochlear implants use a microphone and speech processor to pick up relevant sounds from the environment. A transmitter converts those sounds into electrical impulses which are then collected by the internal piece of the device. Finally, the internal piece sends the impulses to the auditory nerve for processing in the brain.
While hearing aids work to amplify sounds, cochlear implants help enhance sound clarity by sending signals directly to the brain. These devices are often recommended for severe hearing loss, deaf patients or people who struggle with sound or speech comprehension in noisy environments.
Implant Solutions
CochlearTM Nucleus® System
It’s Been Called a Life Changer. It’s Been Called a Miracle. We Call It a Cochlear Implant.
When a crucial part of your inner ear isn’t working properly, you may need more than a hearing aid—you may need a cochlear implant to treat your moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss. The CochlearTM Nucleus® System mimics the natural hearing function of the inner ear to help make sounds louder and clearer. A cochlear implant bypasses the damaged part of the ear so sounds are better understood in both noisy and quiet environments, enabling you to hear everything from conversations in noisy restaurants to leaves rustling in the wind
Other Hearing Solutions
Baha® Bone Conduction System
Your Connection to a Lifetime of Better Hearing
The Baha® Bone Conduction System can be a natural pathway to better hearing if you are living with single-sided deafness, conductive or mixed hearing loss. While most hearing comes from sound waves traveling through the air, you also hear from vibrations that pass through the bones in your head.
The Baha 5 System is the first bone conduction system to offer three head-worn sound processors, each one designed to meet a different level of hearing loss. From the smallest to the most powerful, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that Cochlear offers smart choices for a lifetime of better hearing.
HybridTM Hearing
Use Your Natural Hearing with Cochlear™ Hybrid™ Hearing.
Cochlear Hybrid Hearing* helps those with high-frequency hearing loss (also known as ski slope hearing loss) or those who have some hearing, but still miss many sounds. If you are able to hear low-pitched sounds, but are not able to hear high-pitched sounds like children’s voices and birds chirping, even when using hearing aids, Hybrid Hearing may be a solution. The Cochlear Nucleus Hybrid Implant System is the first FDA-approved solution to use Hybrid Hearing to help treat this type of hearing loss.**
*The Acoustic Component should only be used when behavioral audiometric thresholds can be obtained and the recipient can provide feedback regarding sound quality.
**The Hybrid L24 implant is approved in the US only for adults 18 and older. The Cochlear Nucleus Hybrid acoustic component is not compatible with the Kanso Sound Processor. The Kanso Sound Processor is not intended to be used by Hybrid L24 Cochlear Implant recipients who receive benefit from the acoustic component.
What to Expect at a Cochlear Evaluation
Evaluations help your provider determine the best course of action for your unique type of hearing loss. For cochlear implants, the process begins with tests that check your hearing health and speech comprehension levels. Your balance may also be tested if deemed necessary by your provider.
If you already wear hearing aids, your provider may want to run additional tests to see if another type of hearing aid could deliver better results. If other types of hearing aid technology are ruled out, other criteria for cochlear implants typically include:
- Significant or high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss
- No underlying health issues that could impact implantation
- A realistic understanding of what cochlear implants may or may not address.
What is Cochlear Implant Mapping?
The goal of a mapping appointment is to ensure your implant delivers the best hearing experience possible. Generally, your provider will activate your device four to six weeks after implantation. During a mapping appointment, your provider will optimize your device to your hearing needs, making adjustments based on a series of tests. Speech perception testing is often conducted after mapping to ensure the new settings are working well.
The mapping process relies heavily on your responses to deliver the best results, so it’s important to come to your appointment well-rested and equipped with any notes, observations or questions about your hearing experience since implantation. You should also bring any implant accessories needed for your device.
Results will vary depending on a variety of factors, such as age and severity of hearing loss. If you need adjustments as you wear your device, your provider will be happy to assist you with follow-up mapping appointments.