Now that my child wears a cochlear implant, why would he (she) need to wear a hearing aid in the non-implanted ear?
A child who has a cochlear implant in one ear and severe hearing loss with no amplification in the other ear can only listen with one ear. Try plugging one ear when talking to a friend in a noisy environment and you’ll soon notice that it becomes difficult to understand what your friend is saying. Using two ears to listen makes it easier to listen in noisy situations, and makes it easier for you to locate where sounds come from. Your child cannot enjoy these advantages that you have when he or she listens with amplification only in one ear. Furthermore, if your child does not make use of the residual hearing in the non-implanted ear, that ear may gradually lose its ability to analyse sounds. Without amplification, the ear is not stimulated by sounds and it won’t be able to work so well if and when your child needs to call on it in the future.
Related Questions
- How is a cochlear implant different from a hearing aid?; Who can benefit from a cochlear implant?; What does the cochlear implant look like?; How is it worn?; How does the implant system work?; and How does the ear normally function?.
- Should a hearing aid in the contralateral ear be recommended for children with a unilateral cochlear implant?
- Can my child continue to wear a hearing aid on the ear without an implant?
