Hearing Aids & Implants | Ear Specialist Dr Rebecca Heywood

Tel: 65 6950 2869

Hearing Aids & Implants

Hearing Implants

Some people with hearing loss cannot benefit adequately from hearing aids and may require a hearing implant. Modern hearing implants have transformed the lives of many hearing impaired patients.

Cochlear Implants

What is a cochlear implant?

A cochlear implant is an electronic device. It has two components:

A surgically implantable internal component that is implanted beneath the skin behind the ear. The internal component is invisible.
An external, removable speech processor with a microphone and battery.

The device converts sound signals into electrical signals and sends them directly to the cochlear (auditory) nerve, thereby bypassing the severely damaged cochlea (inner ear).

When is a cochlear implant necessary?

People with moderate to profound hearing loss may benefit from a cochlear implant. When the cochlea (inner ear) is badly damaged, the sound heard through a conventional hearing aid may be too distorted to understand, or even non-existent. In such cases, hearing can be rehabilitated with a cochlear implant.

Cochlear implants can be used in one or both ears by people with hearing loss in both ears, and in the deaf ear in people with single sided deafness.

How is cochlear implantation performed?

More details can be found here.

What happens after the surgery?

The implant will be ‘switched on’ two to three weeks after the surgery. Regular follow up will be required for the first three to six months to adjust the processor, and less often thereafter.

Patience and commitment is essential after cochlear implantation! Auditory verbal therapy is usually required to learn to hear again through the implant. Some cochlear implant users can understand people talking to them as soon as the implant is switched on. Others may take much longer to learn to hear again and require more training due to individual differences such as how long hearing loss was present and whether hearing aids were worn before cochlear implantation.

Are cochlear implants only for children?

No. Cochlear implant surgery can be performed at any age from six months old. The fastest growing group of cochlear implant recipients are those aged over 65. The oldest cochlear implant recipient in the world got his implant when he was 103!

Who makes cochlear implants?

Cochlear implants from three manufacturers are available at our clinic: Advanced Bionics, Cochlear and, Med-El.

All make excellent implants and it can be difficult to choose between them. We can help you to choose the best one for you based on your lifestyle and hearing needs.

MedEl Synchrony implant

MedEl Synchrony implasnt and processor

Cochlear Nucleus 7 behind the ear processor

Cochlear Kanso 2 off the ear processor

Patients wearing cochlear implants

Bone Conduction Devices

Bone conduction devices send sound waves directly through the bone of the skull to the inner ear. They can be used for conductive hearing loss or single sided deafness (hearing loss in one ear). In conductive hearing loss the sound cannot get to the inner ear due to a problem with the outer ear canal, eardrum or middle ear bones.

The bone conduction device enables the sound to bypass the problem area. In single sided deafness the sound is transmitted straight to the inner ear on the other side, enabling sound signals from the deaf side to be transmitted to the brain.

Bone conduction devices can be implantable or non-implantable. Generally, the implantable ones give better sound quality as they can vibrate the skull bone directly. Bone conduction implants consist of two parts: an external, removable processor, and an implantable part. The implantable part may be completely hidden under the skin and attach to the processor with a magnet. Or it may be a small titanium screw protruding through the skin that the processor clips

Devices available:

Bone conduction devices made by Cochlear (Baha Connect, Cochlear Osia, SoundArc), Oticon (Oticon Ponto) and MedEl (Bonebridge) are available at our clinic.

Bone conduction implant surgery

Bone conduction implant surgery is quick and straightforward in most cases. Patients may go home the same day or the day after the surgery.

Bone conduction implant with processor

Bone conduction implant

Baha Softband

Baha Softband on patient

Baha SoundArc

Baha SoundArc on patient

Baha Attract

Baha Connect

Middle Ear Implants

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MedEl Vibrant Soundbridge Middle Ear Implant

Hearing Aids

Hearing aids suit most patients with mild to severe hearing loss. In a hearing aid, a microphone detects sound which is modulated (or fine-tuned) and then amplified. Different designs, including behind-the-ear and in-the-ear devices, are suitable for different types of hearing loss. All are small and discreet.

Choosing the correct aid depends on type of hearing loss, lifestyle and occupation. It is essential that you seek professional advice when choosing a hearing aid. We have the expertise and experience to be able to direct you to the most appropriate hearing aid solution for your needs.