A cochlear (kok-lee-ah) implant is a small device that helps people to hear. It is used when hearing aids don't work for people who are severely deaf.
The device has a microphone on your skin which picks up sounds and turns them into electrical signals.
The second part of the device is inside your skull and has a wire to your inner ear (cochlea). The electrical signal simulates your cochlea to send a sound message to your brain through your auditory (hearing) nerve.
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Cochlear implants don't suit everyone with hearing loss. You or your child will need a full assessment with a specially trained audiologist (hearing expert), speech-language therapist and a surgeon called an otolaryngologist (ot-o-lar-in-jol-o-jist), previously called an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist, to decide if it is an option.
Surgery for a cochlear implant takes about two hours and is done under general anaesthetic (you are asleep).
A few weeks after the surgery the device is turned on. It can take weeks to months to get used to hearing, and you will need help from an audiologist and speech-language therapist.
