It’s time for a new device in town: the electric cochlear implant. Different from a hearing aid, these implants actually involve implantation in the skull. While hearing aids have been the most common solution to hearing loss in the past, cochlear implants are becoming the aid of choice for those who have a profound amount of hearing loss. With so many technologies available to people who suffer from a hearing impairment, these cochlear implants are primarily for people who have a large amount of hearing loss, and can be a solution to both adults and children. The hearing impaired community has come up with a way to reduce the challenge that those with severe forms of hearing loss have. That is through the use of an electric cochlear implant. This device addresses far more than a simple hearing aid does and
Benefits of Cochlear Implants
These devices are worn by kids and adults who live with a high degree of hearing loss. They represent a superior technology that is only expected to grow over the years, offering even more benefits. Cochlear implants allow the individual to clearly pick up on sounds such as speech and surrounding environmental sound, leading the user to feel safe while going about their daily business.
What Makes A Cochlear Implant?
The parts of the device that are located on the external body surface are the microphone, speech processor, and a transmitter. The receiver and an electrode cluster are implanted beneath the skin and all work together to simulate sound for the wearer. Most parts of the device are located on the outside of the ear. However, other components of the device can be worn comfortably behind the ear on the exterior of the body.
How Do Cochlear Implants Function?
The transmitter, which gives the signals to the receiver underneath the skin, passes all of the signals to the electrodes cluster located in the cochlea. This sits behind the ear and under the skin, where electrodes activate special auditory nerve fibers. All four components work in conjunction to ultimately recreate sound waves to simulate hearing, cochlear implants are necessary for many people in which a hearing aid simply won’t provide the assistance they need. The microphone is located on the outside of the ear. It detects sounds, then passes them on to the speech processor that is near the microphone, which can also be worn in other places on the body. This is where the interpretation and digitization of sound occurs in order for it to be picked up by the transmitter. The resulting action is that hearing impaired people can feel safe within their daily environment because they are able to pick up on more clear sound waves. No more confusion!