> Learning about Cochlear Implants > Hearing Potential > what are the options?

Something as simple as not hearing a doorbell and as serious as not hearing conversations or a smoke detector are just some of the many and difficult consequences of hearing loss. It is important to discuss medical treatment options with your ear doctor to determine whether the hearing loss is reversible or can be stabilized. Then technological options for your or your child’s hearing loss need to be explored.

There are many devices and aids to help in most hearing loss situations. Some are very simple, while some are the most sophisticated medical devices made. This long list includes telephones that allow you to read typed words, doorbells that flash a light, or alarm clocks that vibrate as well as make sound. The list also includes sophisticated digital hearing aids, as well as cochlear implants, which bypass the damaged parts of the ear to deliver sound signals directly to the auditory nerve.
 
Hearing aids are designed to provide amplification in frequency regions where the hearing loss is greatest.
 
 
All hearing aids consist of a microphone, amplifier, receiver and battery. However, there are three main types of hearing aids on the market today :
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  • Behind-the-ear (BTE)
    The BTE hearing instrument is placed behind the ear and the sound is conducted to the ear canal through a plastic tube and an earmold.
    BTE hearing instrument may be used for all types of hearing loss from mild to the most profound.
  • In-The-Ear™(ITE)
    Nowadays it is possible to include all electronics of the hearing instrument in the earmould. ITE are used for mild to severe hearing losses.
    In some cases there may be so little room in the ear canal that it is necessary to use the whole outer ear cavity in order to have enough place for the electronics.
  • Completely-in-Canal (CIC)
    The smallest and newest type of hearing instrument is fitted all the way into the ear canal. It is the least conspicuous type of hearing instruments. CIC are mainly used for mild to moderate hearing losses.

Hearing aids tend to be most effective for mild and moderate hearing losses. For people with conductive losses they work well because amplification is what is required to pass the sound through the auditory system.

For listeners with cochlear damage it can be more difficult to predict how well the hearing aid will work because it is hard to know the extent of the damage to the cochlea and therefore the amount of distortion they hear. Typically the smaller the hearing loss, the greater the benefit from amplification.

Many people with severe-to-profound hearing impairments often experience a lot of distortion with hearing aids and tend to use them as an aid to lipreading. Often the extent of the cochlear damage is so great they have very limited frequency resolving abilities and can only use hearing aids to provide timing information about speech.

Implantable Hearing Aids

There are some implantable hearing aids that use both surgically placed parts and external equipment in attempt to restore hearing for certain types of hearing losses. These devices may involve securing a device to the boney portion around the ear to help overcome conductive hearing loss. Other implantable hearing aids use an external processor like a hearing aid and an internal component to amplify sound vibrations in the middle ear.  Talk with your ear doctor to determine if these devices are appropriate options to consider for your or your child’s hearing loss.

 Cochlear Implants

For sensorineural hearing loss, a cochlear implant bypasses the damaged inner ear and sends electrical signals to activate the hearing nerve. click here to learn more.