Do you have trouble following conversations when you’re out at Fort Lee restaurant? Hearing aids are the most common treatment for mild to severe hearing loss. However, patients with profound hearing loss may benefit from cochlear implants.
How Cochlear Implants Differ from Hearing Aids
While both devices work to improve your ability to pick up sounds, a cochlear implant is different from a hearing aid in several ways.
- Hearing aids amplify sounds, but still rely on the ear’s natural hearing ability. Whereas cochlear implants use electrical currents to stimulate the auditory nerve. This bypasses parts of the ear that no longer work.
- Hearing aids are worn behind the ear. While the external component of cochlear implants rests behind the ear, the internal component is surgically implanted behind the ear and in the cochlea in the inner ear.
Who is a Good Candidate for Cochlear Implants?
Cochlear implants are not for everyone. There also isn’t one standard for who qualifies as a good candidate, so the criteria for receiving one can vary depending on the provider. In general, this is the criteria for different age groups:
Adults
- Moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears
- Difficulty understanding speech, even with the use of hearing aids
Children 2-17
- Severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears
- Limited benefit from hearing aids
- Speech score less than or equal to 30% of the Multisyllabic Lexical Neighborhood Test (MLNT)
Children and Infants 9-24 months
- Profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears
- Limited benefit from hearing aids
What Are the Benefits of Cochlear Implants?
The biggest benefit of cochlear implants is that they help you understand speech, which improves your ability to communicate with your family and other loved ones. Stronger relationships improve your quality of life. As does staying active at work and in your community through social activities.
In children who have hearing loss, the biggest benefit is that cochlear implants give them the ability to meet developmental milestones, especially with regards to language skills, that they may not have been able to otherwise.
To learn more about treating your hearing loss, contact Speech & Hearing Associates today.