Hearing Loss Process

Sound can be found in every aspect of life, and the function of the ears allows one to process these noises and send them to the brain. The human ear has three main parts that work together in order to perform the necessary job: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The outer ear, the section that is visible to the human eye, allows sounds to enter through the ear canal. The eardrum separates the outer ear from the middle ear. When sound reached the middle ear, the ossicles, which are the tiniest and most delicate bones in one’s body, transfer the initial sounds to vibrations and send them to the inner ear. The inner ear is the home of the cochlea, which changes the sounds into neurological signals for the brain and the auditory nerves. When sound is originally made, it must go through the entire process before the brain can register that specific sound.
When one of the steps of the hearing process is not fully developed, a minor hearing loss can be triggered within that ear. Three of the main types of hearing loss include sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss, and mixed hearing loss. …show more content…
The initial activation usually takes up to several days, and it can require follow-up visits for the first few months. These follow-up visits are used to activate, adjust, and program the various settings that are accompanied with a cochlear implant. As the patient’s skill improves to the point where they are more comfortable, additional adjustments are required. As the newness of a cochlear implant wears off and all the programs are completed, a patient will schedule annual check-ups to the center to track the progress. People of all age groups that receive cochlear implants receive extensive rehabilitation with the help from audiologists, speech pathologists, teachers, and