Why are cochlear implants helpful when hearing aids are not?
Cochlear implants are useful in cases of severe cochlear damage. People who have tried hearing aids with limited success, and have severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears, may be good candidates for cochlear implants. While hearing aids amplify sounds, if the cochlea is severely damaged and many hair cells are missing, amplified sound won’t get past the ‘relay station’ (i.e. the hair cells in the cochlea), to be sent on to the brain. Cochlear implants replace the function of the hair cells by converting sound into electrical impulses that are relayed to the hearing nerve. Sound is picked up by a microphone worn on the ear. That sound signal is sent into an implant under the skin by using a radio frequency signal. Once the sound signal reached the implant, it is then converted into electrical impulses. By placing a string of electrodes into the cochlea, these electrical impulses relay the sound signal to the hearing nerve, replacing the job that the hair cells would n
