Extensive research on how to reverse loss of hearing in patients began in the 1950's and continued until scientists and medical researches finally sprung upon a breakthrough.
This breakthrough was a hearing instrument called a cochlear implant.
The technique did not become immediately available to the public until the Food and Drug Administration finally approved its use in the 1980s.
Individuals who suffer from a hearing disability suddenly found that they had a new opportunity to gain their sense of hearing again.
Since then the introduction of the cochlear implant has revolutionized the way the deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals have been able to interact with the rest of the world.
The Typical Person Likely to be Suitable for a Cochlear Implant Candidates for a cochlear implant can be of any age, the obvious requirement must be that they suffer from a severe hearing disability.
Hearing problems can occur at any age, but for most adults hearing loss it usually develops gradually and over a period of time.
The cause are wide and various and can range from employment related damage, living environment, illness, or medications.
All these can promulgate hearing loss in adults.
They degree of the problem can only be analyzed during a hearing test which will tell you how severe the hearing loss is in your ears, and assist your doctor to know if you could be a possible candidate.
For children, the processes are a little different.
To find out if your child has a hearing disability, it is important for them to undergo hearing tests at a young age, usually beginning when they are babies.
If you have a child diagnosed with a hearing disability after having a series of hearing tests, then cochlear implants may be a solution.
Before having surgery for a cochlear implant, it is imperative you make good decisions based on all the available information.
To determine if you are a candidate for this type of hearing instrument, you need to visit a medical specialist.
If you doctor gives the go-ahead for the surgery, it might be helpful to talk with someone who has undergone the cochlear implant surgery.
Talking with someone who has an implant can help you prepare for what you need to do after your surgery is over.
You will have to undergo speech and language therapy from a speech pathologist or audiologists.
This can be an extremely time-consuming and frustrating task, especially for a child having to learn unfamiliar sounds.
But repeated practice eventually leads to successful hearing with a cochlear implant.
Life after Implant Surgery The difficulty of the surgery comes with the therapy afterwards.
Adults who have lost their hearing later in life may have an easier time adapting to this hearing instrument because they are already familiar with a variety of sounds.
Children, on the other hand, can have a difficult time with this type of hearing instrument, especially if they were born deaf.
They will have to learn new languages and sound associations from scratch because they won't have a mental library of sounds to go by.
If you are thinking that a cochlear implant may benefit you, we suggest that you consult with your doctor to see if you are a possible candidate.
By doing this, you can find out how extensive your hearing loss really is through a series of hearing tests.
You might also find your problem solved through a less complicated solution.
As research about cochlear implants continues, doctors will be more able to determine who can benefit the most from this device and how to make them more readily available for those who suffer from hearing loss.