Cochlear Implants: The Pros & The Cons

Few things can be compared to losing your hearing. While we all may experience a degree of hearing loss as we age, being deaf from a young age is something different. People who experience severe hearing loss become disconnected. They may feel as if the world around them has been pulled from them.  Especially for young children, the profound effects of deafness cannot be overstated. Without proper treatment, developmental delays can occur. Social stigmas can grow. Life, on a daily basis, may become severely difficult.  Fortunately, there are viable solutions. So-called cochlear implants have helped numerous people across the world who are severely hard of hearing.  Are these cutting-edge electronic devices right for you? Here are the main pros and cons when considering cochlear implants. Con: Does Not Actually Return Hearing The cochlear implant is both an external and internal device, with various parts that work together to represent the sounds of the environment. Technically, the implant does not return normal hearing. Rather, it uses a microphone, transmitter, electrode, and speech processor to simulate normal hearing.   Users of cochlear implants may take some time to learn how to make sense of sounds. Because it is not normal hearing, some aspects...