Life with a cochlear implant

Cochlear implants can connect or reconnect those with hearing loss to the world of sound.

The technology is primarily used to give access to spoken language to patients with severe or profound hearing loss where even well-fitted hearing aids are ineffective. It is suitable for both children and adults, and can dramatically improve a patient’s quality of life.

A cochlear implant, which is implanted through surgery, transforms speech and other sounds into electrical energy that is used to stimulate surviving auditory nerve fibres in the inner ear.

Outcomes vary between patients and may be dependent on various factors. Our team will discuss this with you in some depth prior to implantation.

Southern Cochlear Implant Programme
Southern Cochlear Implant Programme

The cochlear implant process

There are three steps involved in cochlear implantation.

  • Referral & Assessment – working out if a cochlear implant is right for you
  • Surgery – fitting the cochlear implant
  • Switch on & Follow-up – getting the implant working and then helping the wearer to use it well

The cochlear implants we use

We work with the four main implant manufacturers, namely Advanced Bionics, MED-EL, Cochlear Limited and Oticon Medical, and can discuss the cochlear implant system best suited to your needs.