When your inner ear is damaged or has deteriorated, the electronic device designed to compensate for the damage done is called a cochlear implant, which transmits modified sound signals or impulses directly to the auditory nerve rather than sending amplified or processed sounds through the ear canal and regular auditory system.

An external processor receives and processes the sounds around you and then transmits them to an internal electrode, which is threaded into the cochlea using a surgical procedure. Though cochlear implants cannot cure your hearing loss, they help access sound that is not arriving via natural pathways, even when using amplification.

Cochlear hearing implants were first FDA approved in the 1970s in order to facilitate a higher level of hearing clarity for individuals with severe to profound hearing loss. Similar to other electronic devices, the advancements in digital technology have had a significant impact on the processing and performance capacities of cochlear implants, which far exceeds the capabilities of early instruments.

Used alongside hearing aids or to replace them, cochlear implants are able to provide an adequate solution to overcome individual hearing loss challenges.