A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that replaces the work of damaged inner ear, also known as the cochlea and thus provides signals to the brain.
“Other hearing devices make sound louder but cochlear implants just do the work of damaged parts of the ear.”
It is a surgically implanted device and it provides a sense of sound to people who are extremely deaf and have serious hearing problems. More specifically, it provides direct electrical stimulation to the auditory or hearing nerve in the inner ear.
This type of ear damage is called Sensorineural Hearing Loss and is manifested through damages in the little hair cells in the inner ear or cochlea.
“Benefits from these implants depend on many factors such as the age of the person when he or she receives the implant.”
Also, a relevant factor plays whether the person was deaf before developing language skills, and most of all, the motivation of the person itself and people and family around them.
How does a cochlear implant work?
- A sound processor is put behind the ear on the skin from where it captures the sound and turns it into digital codes.
- The sound processor transmits the digital codes from the winding on the head to the implant.
- The implant than changes the digital codes into electrical impulses.
- The hearing nerve is stimulated by the implant’s electrical codes which are sent to the brain and interpreted as sound.
Benefits of Cochlear Implants
- Most people report that they hear and understand better than with regular hearing aids.
- People focus better in noisy environments.
- Also, people have a better feeling of safeness in their everyday lives.
- Renewed enjoyment in music and other interconnected activities such as dancing.
- People can communicate over telephones again.
Different Types of Ear Implants
The inner ear or cochlea responds to sound by at least two different ways.
- Place Theory – The inner ear responds better to a simple tone in one place along its length. According to the place theory, sound can be divided into groups. Lower pitches are in the inner ear recognizes lower pitches and higher pitches area in the cochlea responds to high pitches.
- Timing Theory – The ear responds to the timing of the sound. Timing theories argue the conversion of sound signals into pulses to determine if the inner ear reacts better to different kinds of pulses.
Most implants are adaptable as they can adjust to respond to sound in many ways. Many variations and adaptions are acceptable because every person is a story and case of its own.
Cochlear Implants in the Future
As the day to day technology increases and more researches and studies are executed and analyzed, there is a variety of options and possibilities for cochlear implants to help other hearing losses also.
“People who are limited to the higher pitches of sound can be suggested to use decreased electrode array imputed in the inner ear.”
Other scientists are exploring ways to make sounds more clear and recognizable. There is also the possibility of pairing implants by putting them in both ears or by putting hearing devices in one ear and implants in other ears.