Cochlear Implants & Hearing Solutions

Explained in simple words

1A cochlear implant is a device that can give hearing to a person who is severely or completely deaf.

2An ordinary hearing aid only makes sound louder. If the inner ear is badly damaged, making sound louder does not help — it only becomes noise.

3The cochlear implant works in a different way. It bypasses the damaged part and stimulates the hearing nerve directly.

4It has two parts. One part is worn outside behind the ear, like a hearing aid. The other part is placed under the skin by an operation.

5The outside part picks up sound with a microphone and converts it into a coded signal.

6That signal passes through the skin to the inner part, which sends tiny electrical pulses along a fine wire placed inside the cochlea.

7The cochlea is the snail-shaped hearing organ of the inner ear. The hearing nerve picks up these pulses and carries them to the brain as sound.

8The most important thing to understand is the age factor in children.

9A child who is born deaf must be identified early. The best results come when the implant is done in the first two to three years of life.

10This is because the brain learns to understand speech only during those early years. If that window passes, the benefit is much less.

11So if a small child does not turn to loud sounds, does not respond to his or her name, or is not starting to speak, get the hearing tested at once.

12Do not accept advice to simply wait and watch. A hearing test can be done safely even in a newborn baby.

13Adults can also benefit, especially those who could hear and speak before and later became deaf due to illness, injury, medicines or old age.

14Before the implant, a full assessment is done — hearing tests, a trial with good hearing aids, a CT or MRI scan, and a speech and general health check.

15This assessment tells us whether the person will truly benefit, because the implant is not suitable for every kind of deafness.

16The operation is done under general anaesthesia and usually takes about two hours. There is a small cut behind the ear.

17Most patients go home in a day or two. The device is not switched on immediately; it is activated after about two to four weeks, once healing is complete.

18On the day of switch-on, sound may seem strange, mechanical or beep-like. This is completely normal and expected.

19The brain then needs time and training to learn to make sense of the new signals.

20Regular speech therapy and mapping sessions follow, where the device settings are adjusted step by step.

21Progress is gradual, over months. Family support and daily practice at home make a very big difference to the final result.

22Most implanted children go on to develop speech and attend normal school, and most adults return to conversation and telephone use.

23The external part must be kept dry and removed while bathing or swimming, unless a waterproof cover is used.

24Dr. Rohiwal performs cochlear implant surgery at CARE CIIGMA Hospital, Chh. Sambhajinagar, and the clinic also fits and services modern hearing aids for those who do not need an implant.