How Do Cochlear Implants Work?

“Without your vision and hearing, you don’t truly know what you’re about to confront,” says Douglas Hildrew, MD, an otolaryngologist at Yale. For patients with hearing loss, it’s often a long, slow process that gradually leaves them feeling isolated and unable to have meaningful connections with their family and friends. "Hearing works by having tiny vibrations of the eardrum transferred to the cochlea,” says Elias Michaelides, MD, director of Yale Medicine's Hearing and Balance Program. "Those vibrations then move these tiny little hair cells, which then transfer the vibrational energy into electrical impulses, which then stimulate the nerves of hearing that go to the brain.” When someone experiences hearing loss, those hair cells stop working, and are no longer able to transfer that vibrational energy to the brain - although the nerve itself is still fully functional. That’s why a hearing aid - which works by simply amplifying the sound - won’t work. But a cochlear implant can change lives. "A cochlear implant is a device that we can use to restore hearing,” Dr. Michaelides says. "One part is implanted into the inner ear, and then an outer part, which communicates with the inner part, takes sound and transfers it into electrical impulses. It allows us to bypass the damaged inner ear and stimulate the nerve to recreate hearing.” “It’s kind of a way of jumpstarting the system a bit further downstream,” Dr. Hildrew explains. And when patients wake up after receiving their cochlear implant and discover they can hear again, a big smile spreads across their face: “You’ve given them back something that they’ve been deeply missing,” says Dr. Hildrew.

[decoydavesmith]

Here's the hilarious thought of the day: Most of the people watching this video have hearing loss (like me), and the guy talks really soft and monotone, while the music plays loud lol

[Jenna_Phillips]

I understand this is controversial, and many people in the deaf community don’t believe being deaf is a disability or something that needs fixing. I just think it is truly amazing that this exists and gives people the option to hear. A lot of people say to not do this on kids and wait till they can decide themselves. But kids learn language so much faster than adults. Being able to have the option to hear and learn to speak as a child can be extremely valuable and eliminate a lot of hard work and frustration later on in life. It’s nice that they can choose to remove the implant and sign if they want, but also have that option to hear. There’s so many beautiful things to be heard in life and I think people deserve to have the opportunity to experience it. However, I understand why one would prefer to identify with the deaf community and not want to “cure” it, but rather respect and celebrate who they are as is. I know many people who have the implant actually prefer to not wear them most of the time and I can understand why. But I feel like parents shouldn’t get hate for doing this procedure because giving their kid the option is a blessing and will make it so much easier for them to adapt early on if they do choose to stick with the implants later in life.

[MrLovolovo]

do they hear 1:1 the same as someone without hearing loss or does it sound differently?

[scopovita]

If deafness or blindness was a birth defect and not genetic it, may be possible for stems cells to read the genetic code of the area and produce a healthy organ if the defective organ is replaced strategically.

[baherumolla]

Hi, I love your video I live in Ethiopia Est Africa my son hearing loss both side at the age of 3 he is to day 5 years old. I am very worried about the future of my boy. pleas helping me if you have any way. thanks.

[scopovita]

How about umbilical cord stem cell harvesting locations, if it is possible to connect a line through the mothers stomach and attach it to the umbilical cord and take small amounts of stem cells during a safe time of the pregnancy. Then people that are deaf or blind, surgical removal of part of the defect causing the person to be deaf, with a steady injection of stem cells to the location, then removal of the other part of the birth defect and a steady injection of stem cells to that location. Also, same process with the eyes. That's if the defect was a birth defect during the growth process and not genetic.

[benjaminlehman]

Has anyone ever had hearing, lost it, and then had an implant? Does it sound the same?

[mr.mediocregamer]

What do they hear though? Do they hear the same as hearing people or does what they hear sound robotic? Like Alexa in your head?

[scaryhorrormoviee]

HEARING OR COCHLEAR HEARING . WE ALL USE OUR BRAINNS AND THOUNGS EVEN IF YOU STOP HEARING YOUR BRAIN CAN DEVELOP SPEECH BECAUSE YOUR BRAIN AND THOUNG ALREADY REMENBER THE MOVEMENTS

[UHFStation]

I assumed it was brain surgery for damage to the receiving end of sound stimuli.

[Anahoryaarab]

We have just knew that my two granddaughters twins of 15 months old have severe deaf !

[scopovita]

How about umbilical cord stem cell harvesting locations, if it is possible to connect a line through the mothers stomach and attach it to the umbilical cord and take small amounts of stem cells during a safe time of the pregnancy.*

[cathypignatiello]

Why would they play music in the background when they are discussing how Cochlear Implants Work. They should know that this background noise interferes with our ability to hear this video. This video is from Yale Medicine, you'd think they would know. SMH

[sillkthashocker]

I wish I could know what will be medically possible in the far off future. We already do face transplants, lung transplant, eye transplant, bionic limbs, brain chips, grow new penises off people's arms and transplant them, etc.

[elel]

IMPLANTS CAN BE BENEFIT BUT SOME PEOPLE DONT WANT TO WEAR IT ALL THE TIME SOME SCHOOLS INVADE PARENTS PRIVACY AND EVEN THE OWN STUDENT PRIVACY AS A PRENT I HAVE GOTTEN INVADED AND MISSTREATED BY SCHOOL STUFF WHICH SHOULD BE COMPLETELY ILEGAL

[asatomussio]

After all the years of having Menieres diseases and constant ear ringing, it is nice to sit in a quiet restaurant without anything bothering me. Even the fullness in the bad ear is hardly noticeable. And the constant ear ringing is gone..Took 4weeks thanks Dr Liam Ogbebor Herbal centre YouTube channel for the tinnitus program and herbal ear drop treatment and I hope it stops for everyone else sooner.—;;: