Cochlear Implants

Treatment Overview

A cochlear implant is a small electronic device that can help "make" sound if you have a certain type of severe hearing loss in both ears. The implant does the job of the damaged or absent nerve cells that in a normal ear make it possible to hear. Cochlear implants can be programmed according to your specific needs and degree of hearing loss.

Unlike hearing aids, cochlear implants do not make sounds louder but improve how well you hear sound.

A cochlear implant consists of a:

• Microphone worn behind the ear, to pick up sound.
• Speech processor worn on the body. Some types may be worn behind the ear.
• Small device placed under the skin near the ear, with electrodes placed in the cochlea. This is the cochlear implant.

How does it work?

The microphone picks up sound and sends it to the speech processor, which changes the sound to information the cochlear implant can understand. The implant then tells the nerves in the ear to send a message to the brain. The message is understood as sound.