You may have assumed all hearing impaired people qualified for a traditional hearing aid but this isn’t entirely true. In fact, some people have such a severe hearing issue that they must use an electric cochlear implant, which involves surgically implanted components in under the skin on the skull. This is becoming a popular option for those with bad hearing loss because they offer so much more than a simple ear-worn hearing aid. Designed with children and adults in mind, these devices offer an unmatched versatility. Attached to the wearer’s skull, a special bypass is created that helps interpret sound waves by the auditory nerve. Let’s explore the various benefits of a cochlear implant and why they’re so great.
How Do Cochlear Implants Function?
Cochlear implants are integral for severely hearing impaired people in which a hearing aid simply won’t do. They operate via the integrated use of four major components that simulate hearing, resulting in crisp, clear sound waves for optimal enjoyment. The microphone on the outside of the ear detects sounds and sends them to the speech processor near the microphone. Consequently, this can be worn in other places on the body, and the place where sound is interpreted and digitized. This puts it in a great place to be picked up by the transmitter. The transmitter, which fires off signals to the receiver underneath the skin, sends the signals to the electrode cluster within the cochlea. This component sits directly behind the ear and under the skin, where electrodes activate fibers on the auditory nerve for processing.
Benefits of Cochlear Implants
Electric cochlear implants are excellent for the hearing impaired community because they offer such a great alternative to not being able to pick up on clear sounds. Perfect for people kids and adults who live with a high degree of hearing loss, these devices do much more than a simple hearing aid. In fact, they allow the individual to clearly pick up on sounds such as speech and surround environmental sound. This helps users feel safe in their environment on a daily basis.
What Makes A Cochlear Implant?
There are many several parts that make up a cochlear implant, and they all do something different. The microphone, speech processor, and a transmitter comprise the external parts of the device, while the receiver and an electrode cluster comprise the parts implanted under the skin. Most of the components of a cochlear implant are located on the outside of the ear, but some are placed under the skin and behind the ear.