Google plans to apply artificial intelligence to this issue to better identify, categorize, and separate sound sources. In simple terms, this should enable hearing aids and implants to reduce background noise, making speech and other sounds that the person actually wants to hear much clearer.
Another essential element is fitting and personalizing hearing aids and implants. There is great variability in how well people with similar levels of hearing loss can hear when using the same technology, explains Jan Janssen, chief technology officer at Cochlear. If we can better understand why pathways that start in the ear and continue to the brain vary so much from person to person, there is room for better adaptations to ensure people get the maximum benefit from hearing aid technologies.
New guidelines for living for cochlear implants
Work has also begun international housing guidelines to determine who should be tested and referred for a cochlear implant. As it stands, there is no standardized scale or test result that triggers a referral. This move follows research suggests that only three in 100 people in the US who could benefit from cochlear implants actually get one. Advice varies greatly, so people with severe hearing loss don’t always seek help and sometimes get bad advice when they do.
“Many patients today who would benefit from cochlear implants, which would be paid for by their insurance, don’t have access to the technology,” said Brian Kaplan, chair of the ENT division and director of the Cochlear Implant Program at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. .
Many people worry about cost; the misconception that you have to be completely deaf is another barrier. Kaplan says there’s an average delay of 12 years between someone becoming a good candidate and actually getting a cochlear implant. Many people struggle with deteriorating hearing. While hearing aids can increase volume, a cochlear implant can also improve speech understanding.
The societal cost of hearing loss and its associated costs links with dementiasocial isolation and depression are becoming increasingly apparent. A study which followed 639 adults for nearly 12 years found that mild hearing loss doubled the risk of dementia, moderate loss tripled it, and that people with severe hearing loss were five times more likely to develop dementia. The hope is that the new guidelines will result in more referrals and allow those who could benefit from them to get cochlear implants much more quickly.
Fear of the surgery can also discourage people, but Kaplan says it’s not brain surgery. It’s an outpatient procedure that usually takes about an hour, can be done with local anesthesia, and should cause little pain. They make one 2 inch incision behind the ear to place the implant. The success rate is very high (less than 0.2 percent reject the implants), in most people report of improved hearing and speech recognition within three months of implantation. As with any surgery, there is a risk. Cochlear implants don’t work for everyone, the hearing improvement they provide varies, and problems may necessitate further surgery.
If you think you or someone you know could benefit from it, the first step is to visit an audiologist to get tested. Cochlear provides advice on referralsand can help you find a hearing implant specialist.
Hearing technology is rapidly improving, with smaller, more efficient hearing aids, better cochlear implants and improved accessibility options on devices such as phones and earbuds. We have guides on how to stream audio to hearing aids and cochlear implants and how to use your smartphone to address hearing loss. Also consider the best earplugs to protect your hearing from damage.