Cochlear implants are nothing more than a sound processor for patients who suffer from hearing loss.
It is a small, complicated electronic device that can assist those who are profoundly deaf or severely deaf
restore their hearing. The sound impulses are captured by this cochlear implant sound processor and
sent to the receiver implanted under the ear. The signal from the receiver is then sent to electrodes
implanted in the snail-shaped inner ear.
There are 3 major parts in the cochlear implant –
1. Microphone – This microphone helps us pick the sound from the nearby environment.
2. Speech Processor – This processor arranges the sound collected through the microphone.
3. Stimulator – This transmitting/receiving stimulator receives the signals from the processor and
convert them into the electric impulses.
4. Electrode Array – The Electrode array collects the electric impulses from the stimulator and sends it
across the different auditory nerve region.
Although this cochlear implant can provide a meaningful representation of sounds, it cannot restore
normal hearing ability.
How does a Cochlear Implant work?
Many people have mixed up the terms Cochlear Implant and Hearing Aid. A hearing aid enhances sound
for the damaged ear, but a Cochlear implant bypasses the damaged region and sends sound straight to
the auditory nerves, where it is processed by the brain. The sounds produced by the cochlear implant
are not the same as those produced by normal hearing. The relearning and adjustment to the new
sound takes some time. After a certain amount of time, one may readily recognize environmental signs
and sounds, as well as speech recognition on phones.