What You Need to Know About Cochlear Implants?

Answer 1

Cochlear implants are an assistive hearing device for the deaf. They are surgically implanted into one or both ears. These devices do not restore normal hearing - rather, they selectively tune environmental sounds, such as those perceived as speech, into a format that can be processed in a meaningful way. This technology has created controversy due to its potential hazards and drawbacks, and whether or not something like this should be used on children.

Cochlear implants consist of both internal and external parts. The external parts sit behind the ear, and look similar to a hearing aid. The cochlear implant is a complex system including a microphone, speech processor, transmitter, stimulator, and electrode array.

After receiving a cochlear implant, the person will need to have therapy to learn how to interpret the sounds created by the implant. The implant does not merely magnify real world sounds. It breaks them down and turns them into signals that can be transmitted electronically. The person with the implant will need to learn to hear in this new and different way. Many people who use this device may still need visual cues to help them understand the sounds they are receiving, such as reading lips and sign language.

As with any surgical procedure, there are certain risks involved with receiving a cochlear implant. If for any reason the device needs to be removed, any residual hearing the person had in that ear will be permanently and totally lost. Most deaf people do have some level of residual hearing. This is one of the main reasons there is controversy over whether or not to put these implants in children. Proponents argue that the younger the child is when they receive the implant, the more likely they can develop speech language skills through the aid of the device. Detractors counter that language skills can be acquired starting much earlier than that if the child is educated in sign language, and that the cochlear implant is not necessary for proper language skill acquisition. Due to the risks involved in the procedure, many argue that the surgery should only be performed on adults old enough to make an informed decision on whether or not to have it.

Cochlear implants are very expensive, and require therapy after implantation that may also become very expensive. This may or may not be covered by a person's insurance, so cost is something that must also be taken into consideration.