From Jamie Berke,
Your Guide to Deafness.
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Cochlear implants for hearing have been around for awhile (since the 1960s), but they really began to catch on in the early 1990s. At that time, many in the deaf community reacted with alarm. There were unfounded fears of deaf culture dying, countless debates in the deaf press, and even public protests.

What is a Cochlear Implant

Today, much of the early opposition has quieted down and in its place appears to be a grudging acceptance of cochlear implants, now commonly referred to by some as "an internal hearing aid." However, cochlear implants are not the same thing as implantable hearing aids because cochlear implants use electricity to stimulate the auditory nerve while implantable hearing aids are regular hearing aids. Hearing aids only amplify sound, while a cochlear implant bypasses the damaged hair cells in the ear. More deaf adults -- culturally deaf or not -- are choosing to get cochlear implants, and parents are routinely getting them for their deaf children.

Qualifying for a Cochlear Implant

Not everyone can qualify for a cochlear implant. A candidate can be rejected if he has too much residual hearing for a cochlear implant. This is because a cochlear implant destroys whatever natural hearing remains in the implanted ear.

People who receive cochlear implants are still deaf. They are totally deaf when their implants are turned off. This isn't much different from what I experienced wearing a hearing aid. Like today's implantees, I was either "on the air" or "off the air."

The decision whether or not to implant a child or to get one yourself is a very personal, deliberate one. There are risks (including the risks associated with any surgery), however minimal. These risks include facial nerve injury and infection in the surgical area. About.com has an animated video on cochlear implant surgery. Without tremendous commitment to working to develop auditory skills, an implant may not produce good results. The question of whether to get a cochlear implant is one I have faced myself.

Hearing Aids No More

Until the mid-1990s, I was able to get some limited benefit from hearing aids. After buying my last hearing aids, I told the audiologist that if I lost more hearing, that was it. I could not afford another $1,000 for new hearing aids every time I lost more hearing (insurance would not cover it). The doctors had told me that I could expect to be totally deaf by the time I was 40. They were wrong. It happened when I was 30.

The day finally came when I realized I could no longer benefit from hearing aids. One day I put them on as usual, but the sound was incredibly faint. Could it be the battery? I tried some new batteries. No improvement. Bought another pack of batteries. Tried every battery in the pack. Still no improvement. Conclusion -- I could no longer benefit from hearing aids.

Should I get a cochlear implant? I pondered this as I considered living as a totally deaf person. I knew this day would come someday and had been preparing myself for it by going to work without hearing aids now and then, to force myself to function without relying on sound. I decided not to get a cochlear implant.

Reason for a Cochlear Implant?

Then I had a near-disaster in my house. I had been washing the dishes. When I finished the dishes, I went downstairs to use the computer. About 3 1/2 hours later, I needed to use the bathroom. The bathroom floor was a little wet. I thought it was my child, who had recently bathed toys in the bathtub. I started mopping it up. Soon it became a flood I couldn't control. I looked around for the source. Tested the toilet and the sink. No leaks.

As the flood got worse, I sought a neighbor's help. The neighbor came into my house, looked around the basement bathroom, and suddenly stopped in her tracks. "I hear something!" She went into the playroom, flicked on the light, and showed me what she had heard -- the water was cascading down the wall next to the bathroom and flooding into the bathroom! The source was upstairs. We raced upstairs, and she immediately found the source -- the kitchen sink faucet had not been turned off after I did the dishes!

If I had gotten a cochlear implant, maybe I would have been able to hear the water running down the wall. As I mopped up the water after the faucet had been shut off, the thought, "Should I get a cochlear implant?" again crossed my mind.

Maybe someday.

_Source:

Benefits and Risks of Cochlear Implants,U.S. Food and Drug Administration.