Cochlear Implants & Possible Complications?!

Question: Cochlear Implants & Possible Complications?

I was born "hearing impaired"; I function with about 50% of a "normal person's" hearing, maybe a bit less. I wore an external hearing aid in my right ear for a time and found I disliked the inconvienience (and the fact it was external) and thought there wasn't much difference in my ability to hear, though my family thought otherwise. They're now asking me to consider cochlear implants. First of all, would I even be eligible? I've gotten both "yes" and "no". I thought cochlear implants were for those with overall profound loss of hearing; only my right ear's profoundly impaired; my left is only moderate to severe. Second, I've heard that cochlear implants sound very mechanical and "robot-like" to people who have lived most of their life without them. I don't necessarily want that, as I already have pretty decent English skills and I'm in the process of learning foreign languages. However, I've heard that it helps daily functioning and improves quality of life for those who can get used to the mechanical sound. Anyone who has cochlear implants implanted post-lingually and any thoughts?

Answers:

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You do not sound like a typical candidate for a cochlear implant. There are many deciding factors in the eligibility for cochlear implants such as; age and occurrence of the hearing impairment. Generally, those who are younger and have not finished learning speech and language are prime candidates. Young children whom are born deaf, and get implants at a young age do extremely well when placed in special programs. These children are usually able to replicate near-perfect speech and respond better to treatment than those whom live their whole life deaf until adulthood and decide to get the implant. The cochlear implant helps the young effectively become more part of the hearing world and lead lives with less potential difficulties than those children without the implants.

Cochlear implants can be very helpful in adults though as well. The cochlear implant is extremely helpful to adults communication, especially with lip reading, and communicating with adults who are hearing and do not know sign language. For many patients, their cochlear implants allow them to lead more 'normalized' lives, improving social interactions and making the work environment a less stressful place to be in because of the increased amount of communication.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article…
http://www.helium.com/items/524554-the-p…

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Cochlear Implants & Possible Complications?!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

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