Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow They WorkSurgeryWho Could Benefit?Presurgical QuestionsHow Long to Better Hearing?Rehabilitation and Aftercare
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How They Work
Surgery
Who Could Benefit?
Presurgical Questions
How Long to Better Hearing?
Rehabilitation and Aftercare
The implant is turned on about four weeks after the surgery, but learning to interpret the hearing implant’s sound can take months. Most people with cochlear implants can eventually understand speech, even over the phone, but the sound differs from what people without implants hear.
Kristina Igumnova / Getty Images
How Cochlear Implants Work
Cochlear implants use components inside and outside the body to stimulate hearing. Here’s a simplified breakdown:
Cochlear Implants vs. Hearing AidsHearing aidsare devices worn in the outer ear to make sounds louder, while cochlear implants are surgically placed inside the inner ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. They’re used for people who still can’t hear well enough, even with properly fitted hearing aids.
Cochlear Implants vs. Hearing Aids
Hearing aidsare devices worn in the outer ear to make sounds louder, while cochlear implants are surgically placed inside the inner ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. They’re used for people who still can’t hear well enough, even with properly fitted hearing aids.
What Happens During Surgery?
A cochlear implant surgery is relatively quick, taking 1.5 hours to two hours.The surgery entails the following:
Some people are sent home the same day, while others are kept overnight for observation. If cochlear implants are needed in both ears, they both will be implanted in the same procedure.
Who Can Benefit From Cochlear Implants?
Cochlear implants are for people who are severely hard of hearing or profoundly deaf. You should talk with your healthcare provider about cochlear implants if you’re not able to recover enough hearing using hearing aids. Cochlear implants are for those who are born deaf, and those who have significanthearing loss.
Not everyone who is deaf or hard of hearing chooses to have cochlear implants. One of the biggest considerations is that cochlear implants are not a quick fix. In order to be able to hear successfully with cochlear implants, children and adults need to have intensive, ongoing therapy with audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and other professionals.
Surgery Qualifications and Testing
If you’re considering cochlear implants, talk with your audiologist. A first step for most people with hearing loss is to try hearing aides. If you cannot achieve adequate results with properly fitted hearing aids, you may be a candidate for cochlear implants. Children as young as 9 months old can get hearing implants.
Does They Work?
Estimated Cost
Risks
Cochlear implant surgery is considered very safe. However, there are some risks including dizziness for about one week after surgery.
One rare but serious risk of cochlear implants ismeningitis. The risk for meningitis may be higher because the implant creates a pathway from the outer ear to the inner ear, which is normally sterile. There have only been about 91 cases of meningitis out of more than 60,000 with cochlear implants, but 17 people with the implants have died of meningitis. Because of this, people undergoing cochlear implant surgery should be vaccinated against bacterial meningitis.
Recovery at a Glance
Recovery from cochlear implant surgery is relatively straightforward. Most people are back to normal activities within two to three days.A much longer process is working with therapists to learn how to interpret noise that’s detected through the implants.
How Long Before Your Hearing Improves?
Most people see big improvements in their hearing during the first six months. If you used to be able to hear but lost your hearing, a cochlear implant will not restore your hearing as it once was. With cochlear implants it can be difficult to hear in noisy environments, or to distinguish different voices or where noises are coming from. You might have difficulty understanding emotion. However, many people are able to understand speech and even some music.
About a month after cochlear implant surgery, you’ll go to the audiologist to have your implant programmed, or turned on. This is the start of a process that can take months or even years of training the nerves and brain to interpret sounds from the cochlear implants.
This process of learning to use your cochlear implant includes:
The Deaf CommunityMany people who are deaf (unable to hear) also identify as “Deaf,” meaning as members of the Deaf community. While some deaf people get cochlear implants, many also feel it’s important for children to be exposed to aspects of Deaf culture, including sign language.
The Deaf Community
Many people who are deaf (unable to hear) also identify as “Deaf,” meaning as members of the Deaf community. While some deaf people get cochlear implants, many also feel it’s important for children to be exposed to aspects of Deaf culture, including sign language.
Summary
Cochlear implant surgery is relatively straightforward and safe. However, the process of relearning how to hear using your implant can take a while. Hearing with a cochlear implant is not the same as hearing with healthy ears and requires significant rehabilitation. However, many people can understand speech and even enjoy music.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cochlear implant surgery and rehabilitation.
NIH.Cochlear implants.
UConn.What does the world sound like through a cochlear implant?
Stanford Medicine.Cochlear implant procedure.
Stanford Health.What to expect from a cochlear implant.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
