Sound Signals to the Brain
Cochlear Implants
Discover Cochlear Implants
Would you like to learn more about hearing with an implantable hearing system?
Please join us for a FREE information session to learn more about cochlear implants.
When:
28th October 11:00am
Where:
Suite 2, M City Medical,
2107 Dandenong Rd,
Clayton VIC 3168
- The difference between a hearing aid and a hearing implant system
- How a hearing implant system works
- Understand the cochlear implant journey?
Information courtesy of Cochlear Australia
What is Cochlear Implant?
A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear.
Unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder, cochlear implants do the work of damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain.
Who is eligible for a Cochlear Implant?
Cochlear implants can help people who:
- have moderate to profound hearing loss
- have profound hearing loss in one ear with normal hearing in the other ear
- receive little or no benefit from hearing aids
- score 65% or less on sentence recognition tests done by hearing professional in the ear to be implanted
Many people have cochlear implants in both ears (bilateral). Listening with two ears can improve your ability to identify the direction of sound and separate the sounds you want to hear from those you don’t (e.g. background conversations in a restaurant)
Hearing loss may be due to hair cells in the inner ear or (or cochlea) being damaged. The cochlear implant enables the sound to be transferred to your hearing nerves and enables you to hear.
How cochlear implant works
- A sound processor worn behind the ear or on the body, captures sound and turns it into digital code. The sound processor has a battery that powers the entire system.
- The sound processor transmits the digitally-coded sound through the coil on the outside of your head to the implant.
- The implant converts the digitally-coded sound into electrical impulses and sends them along the electrode array placed in the cochlea (the inner ear).
- The implant’s electrodes stimulate the cochlea’s hearing nerve, which then sends the impulses to the brain where they are interpreted as sound.
Benefits of a Cochlear Implant
Many adults with cochlear implants report that they:
- Hear better with a cochlear implant than with a hearing aid
- A previous study has shown that people with cochlear implant achieve an average of 80% sentence understanding, compared with 10% sentence understanding for hearing aids.
- Can focus better when in noisy environments, allowing them to have conversations with people across meeting tables, in restaurants and other crowded places.
- Reconnect with missed sounds that they could not hear before their cochlear implant (e.g. birds singing, children’s laughter).
- Feel safer in the world as they can hear alarms, people calling out and approaching vehicles.
- Talk and hear on the phone
- Are able to enjoy music again
Factors can affect the success of an implant
The benefit of cochlear implants is often different for different individuals. This difference is often due to:
- how long they have had hearing loss before receiving a cochlear implant.
- how severe their hearing loss is
- condition of their cochlea (inner ear)
- other medical conditions
- how much practice they include in everyday life when using their cochlear implant system.
Who to contact?
- General Practitioner
- Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist
- Victorian Hearing
- The Cochlear Implant Clinic at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital
Contact us
Trusted, university qualified, friendly Audiologists are only a phone call away 03 9558 8842