Hear more of life’s beautiful sounds
Selecting the most appropriate hearing technology is critical to your hearing success.
What you can expect at your appointment
- Information about the auditory system and your hearing loss
- Information about cochlear implants and how they work
- A comprehensive evaluation of the auditory system
- Hearing aid check and verification
- Speech in noise testing with use of hearing aids
- Same day candidacy determination
Hearing aids
Hearing aids are small electronic devices that capture sound and make it louder. They are typically a solution for those who have mild to severe hearing loss and have some remaining healthy sensory calls in their inner ear (cochlear) that can transmit sound to the brain using amplification. The most common type of hearing aid is the Behind-The-Ear design. It hooks over the top of the ear and rests behind it.
Hearing aids vs. cochlear implants
Cochlear implants help those with moderate to profound hearing loss in both ears who are not receiving enough benefit when using hearing aids. For some people, using hearing aids with moderate to profound hearing loss can be like listening to loud, badly tuned radio. It may be loud enough to hear parts of what is being said, but the words are not clear. Cochlear implants are designed to provide clearer sound to help you understand what Is being said.
FAQs
What is a cochlear implant?
Cochlear implants are surgically implanted medical devices that replace the function of the inner ear (cochlear) and are designed to mimic natural hearing.
For many people cochlear implants can:
– Improve auditory awareness of sounds at levels within the normal range of hearing
– Improve speech and language skills
– Improve the quality of life
– Improve employment opportunities
Will I hear better in “noise” with a cochlear implant?
Hearing your friends and family in noisy situations is especially difficult for those with hearing loss. Now you don’t have to miss out on those important conversations. In fact, adult cochlear implant users demonstrated a significant improvement in hearing in noise when compared to their hearing aid performance.
Unlike hearing aids, cochlear implants may be covered by Medicare. We would be happy to help contact your insurance company and determine if you have a cochlear implant benefit.
How can I benefit from a cochlear implant?
Research and decades of experience demonstrate that cochlear implants can help:
– Improve auditory awareness of sounds at levels within the normal range of hearing
– Improve speech understanding, sound clarity and language skills
– Improve hearing in noise
– Improve the quality of life
– Improve employment opportunities
Studies show that adults with cochlear implants understand sentences almost seven times better in average then they could with hearing aids.
How soon can I expect to have my cochlear implant activated after surgery?
Typically you can expect your implant to be activated 2-4 weeks after surgery.
How many programming sessions are required to optimize my cochlear implant once it’s activated?
Several appointments may be needed after this initial activation to adjust the program as patients adapt to sound and practice listening with the device. The number of appointments needed varies by the person but is typically 3 to 6 appointments the first year and one appointment per year after that.
Is the cochlear implant surgery considered brain surgery?
Cochlear implant surgery is not brain surgery. The surgeon makes a small incision behind the ear, places the implant under the skin, delicately threads the electrodes into the cochlear and closes the incision site. In most cases, you can return home later the same day and can get back to your normal activities within a few days.
What should I expect my cochlear implant to sound like when it is activated?
Initially, your cochlear implant might sound mechanical and artificial or high pitched. To some patients, it may start out sounding natural, just like they remember. As the brain adjusts and adapts, your hearing will become more natural. The initial experience of hearing with a cochlear implant does not dictate what sounds you will hear and interpret after a period of listening and practicing.
Sometimes hearing aids are not enough.
There are signs that help you identify when your hearing aids alone do not provide the sound clarity you need to understand conversations.
Signs that your hearing aids may no longer be effective:
Do you:
- Frequently ask people to repeat themselves?
- Have difficulty hearing conversations especially in background noise?
- Often misunderstand what people say?
- Have trouble hearing on the telephone?
- Turn up the volume on the TV louder than others in the room prefer?
- Feel people often mumble when they talk?
- Struggle to hear sounds of nature such as birds chirping or rain falling?
- Find yourself agreeing, smiling or nodding during conversations when you’re not sure what’s been said?
- Regularly withdrawal from conversations because it’s too difficult to hear?
- Read lips to understand what people are saying?
If you answered Yes to any of these questions, then a cochlear implant may be a good solution for you. Our Audiologist can help determine whether you qualify.