Difference Between Hearing AIDS & Cochlear Implants

Professor Adrian Davis of the British MRC Institute of Hearing Research predicts that hearing impairment will afflict over 700 million people by 2015. Digital hearing aids and cochlear implants may help improve the quality of sound for those who suffer from hearing loss.

Function

• A hearing aid works by sending amplified sound through the outer and middle ear to hair cells in the inner ear. A cochlear implant bypasses damaged hair cells and directly stimulates the auditory nerve by sending electronic signals to surgically implanted electrodes.

Significance

• A hearing aid can help those with mild to severe hearing loss who can benefit from the amplification of sound. A cochlear implant is available only to those who have severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss and cannot be helped with a hearing aid.

Features

• A hearing aid is a small external electronic device worn in or behind the ear. A cochlear implant consists of internal electrodes implanted into the cochlea that are stimulated by an external device worn behind the ear or on the body.

Misconceptions

• Hearing loss resulting from damaged hair cells currently cannot be repaired by medicine, surgery or hearing aids. A hearing aid or a cochlear implant will not completely restore normal hearing.

Famous Ties

• Ex-president Bill Clinton was fitted for hearing aids in 1997 and wears them in both ears. Political commentator Rush Limbaugh received a cochlear implant in 2001.