Cochlear Implant or Hearing Aid – Which is Better?
When a person is experiencing hearing loss, it affects their life, relationships, and work. Conversations can become difficult to understand and follow, words and sounds can seem muffled, and listening to phone calls, music or television can become exhausting. While the most common solution for the problem of hearing loss is the hearing aid, some individuals may require cochlear implants to help them hear better. What Exactly Is Hearing Loss? Hearing loss occurs when a part or more of the ear - the eardrum, hearing bones, cochlea, hearing nerve, and/or the brain encounter problems. Exposure to very high noise levels, genetics, excessive earwax, and aging may cause either temporary or chronic loss of hearing. The degree of hearing loss and its type can vary from one person to another. The common types of hearing loss are: Conductive – when sounds are unable to travel from the outer and middle ear to the inner ear Sensorineural – when the hearing nerve or inner ear structures...