Hearing loss is a medical disorder that affects nearly 36 million adults in the United States. For many, hearing aids or rehabilitation therapies can help reduce hearing loss. However, for those who are partially or completely deaf and don’t benefit from hearing aids, cochlear implants may be the best option to improve hearing.

“It’s important for people to know the difference between a hearing aid and a cochlear implant,” says Heather Weinreich, M.D., neuro-otologist and cochlear implant surgeon. “A hearing aid helps amplify frequencies that a patient may have lost. But for some patients, hearing loss may be so significant that a hearing aid cannot amplify enough for usable hearing. This is when a cochlear implant can be considered.”

A cochlear implant converts sound waves to electrical impulses. This gives a person with severe hearing loss the ability to hear sounds and may help them understand speech.

A cochlear implant is a small electronic device that stimulates the nerve for hearing. It has two parts—one that sits behind the ear and picks up sounds with a microphone, and another that is implanted in the inner ear during a surgery. A thin wire and small electrodes are fed into the cochlea (part of the inner ear). The wire sends signals to the auditory nerve, which sends sound impulses to the brain.

To be considered for a cochlear implant, an individual needs to be evaluated by an audiologist, doctor and cochlear implant surgeon. The surgery lasts two to four hours, and the patient usually goes home the same day.

“It takes a while to get used to hearing sounds in a new way,” says Dr. Weinreich. “Rehabilitation therapy helps patients improve communication.”

To schedule an appointment, call 443-997-6467.