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Last Updated: Nov 27, 2020
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Cochlear Implants - Knowing Their Utility!

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Dr. Harmeet Singh PasrichaENT Specialist • 26 Years Exp.DNB (ENT), MBBS, MNAMS - Otorhinolaryngology
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Introduction:

A cochlear implant is one of the best electronic medical devices in the modern world. A cochlear implantation is a surgical implantation done on a person who is deaf. This device provides a sense of hearing. It does not amplify the sound like normal hearing aids. It stimulates the specialized nerve cells in the hearing sense organ (cochlea). It has many advantages and is currently more useful than your average hearing aid.

How can Cochlear implants help?

One may get to hear speech at a normal level. In adults, the result is immediate while in children the rate at which they improve is very slow. In adults, there is a rapid improvement for about three months after which the improvement is slow. Most people can perceive a wide range of sounds varying from soft, medium to loud like the slamming of a door, the barking of dogs, and the ringing telephone. Makes a person more secure and self-reliant. It is very important for a person to be able to hear in case of critical conditions like the fire alarm. Cochlear implanthelps with these. One can actually hear auditory voices, even though they are robotic. A person with cochlear implant does not need to lip read.Children can think about studying in mainstream schools instead of studying in a specialized school for deaf people.

Now we will discuss some details about the drawbacks. And, it is not a foolproof method and doesn't guarantee that hearing a person may lose the residue hearing that they have. There are several drawbacks to a cochlear implant.

Let us discuss some down below:

A surgical process involves a lot of money and it has a lot of ordeals associated with it. Therefore, before getting a cochlear implant done ask your specialist to elaborate if it will be of any help to your condition. The cost of maintenance is also very high. It will be difficult for people who are not inborn deaf to cope up with hearing conditions as the sounds are distorted and background noises interfere with the process of hearing. Irritation of your skin, muscle spasms, and even facial paralysis are some of the side effects of this implant. But these are rare conditions. Sounds are translated by the device first and may sound unnatural. It takes time and proper training before a person can be at ease with this condition.

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