A cochlear implant is a small, compact electronic device that can help to produce a sense of sound to people who are profoundly deaf or sharply hard-of-hearing. Hearing aids amplify sound and make them louder but, the function of the cochlear implant is to bypass the damaged cochlea (hair cells of the inner ear) and provide sound signals to the brain.
The internal parts which are implanted include a receiver and electrodes. The receiver is inserted just under the skin behind the ear. It takes the coded electric signals from the transmitter and delivers them to the electrodes, which are surgically inserted in the cochlea.
Children who receive a cochlear implant before three years of age have observed the stablest results. There is an achievement of 90 to 95 percent hearing and language enhancement. 80 – 90 percent of those children develop a hearing and speech equal to the children with normal hearing.
