Cochlear Implants
Cochlear Implants
Silicon Valley’s Cochlear Implant Specialists
Millions of people of all ages, in all parts of the world, feel the impact of hearing loss. For many, the solution to improving hearing and maintaining a high quality of life involves hearing aids, but sometimes hearing aids cannot provide enough benefit, and hearing care professionals look to an alternative solution.
Improved hearing clarity is possible for children and adults using electronic implants, better known as cochlear implants. In partnership with Stanford Healthcare, Pacific Hearing Service now works with cochlear implants as a treatment option. In Silicon Valley, better communication and better hearing solutions that make use of cochlear implants are available from Pacific Hearing Service.
Cochlear implants, whether in one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral), can help improve hearing clarity as well as elevate speech and language processing capabilities in children as young as six to twelve months, adolescents, and adults.
Cochlear implant technology has been around since the 1970s, and many people are aware of these hearing devices, but don’t fully understand what they are and how they work.
What Is a Cochlear Implant?
Damage to the inner ear, or cochlea, interrupts the auditory process, which limits or prevents the transmission of sound signals to the auditory nerve and to the auditory processing center of your brain. A cochlear implant is a device designed to bypass the damage done to the cochlea by transmitting electric impulses directly to the auditory nerve instead of sending acoustic sounds through the ear canalthe way a traditional hearing aid does.
Cochlear implants are composed of a processor worn behind the ear that looks similar to a hearing aid, which receives and processes the sounds around you, and sends this information to an internal electrode, which is surgically placed into the cochlea. Cochlear implants do not cure hearing loss, but they can help improve hearing when traditional hearing aids are no longer able to provide a benefit.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for cochlear implants came in the 1970s, providing an alternate solution to improve hearing clarity in individuals with severe to profound hearing loss. Though they were cutting-edge technology in that decade, their capabilities far exceed what was possible with those early devices thanks to breakthroughs in digital technology that took place in our region.
Used with hearing aids, or to replace them, cochlear implants provide an advanced solution for overcoming individual hearing loss challenges.
More Answers to Your Questions About Cochlear Implants
DUMMY DO NOT DELETE
Q: AM I A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR A COCHLEAR IMPLANT?
Q: ARE THERE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH COCHLEAR IMPLANT SURGERY?
Cochlear implant surgery is typically an outpatient procedure where you go home either the day of surgery or the following day. The procedure is done under general anesthesia so you will discuss your medical history and any related concerns with your surgical team.
Q: WILL I NEED MORE SURGERIES AS NEW TECHNOLOGY BECOMES AVAILABLE?
Q: WHAT IS A BI-MODAL FITTING?
Q: CAN I SWIM, SHOWER AND REMAIN ACTIVE WITH A COCHLEAR IMPLANT?
Q: HOW LONG AFTER BEING IMPLANTED ARE COCHLEAR IMPLANTS ACTIVATED?
Q: ARE MY COCHLEAR IMPLANTS COVERED BY INSURANCE?
What Our Patients
Have To say
"I want to robustly sing the praises of Pacific Hearing Service"
"They work as a team, seamlessly, and with great love and affection"
"I'm probably they're longest customer, I've known them for over 40 years"
Learn More About Cochlear Implants from Our Specialist
When hearing aids do not produce hearing improvement or facilitate speech and language development, electronic implants often provide the best alternative solution for those with advanced levels of hearing loss. Cochlear implants are among the important tools used by our audiologists at Pacific Hearing Service in our Menlo Park and Los Altos clinics to help improve the hearing and quality of life for those in Silicon Valley who qualify for them.
If you, or a loved one, want to find out whether you qualify for cochlear implants or just want more information about our program, just complete and submit the adjacent form so our specialist can contact you.
Testimonials
// STORIES //
Proud To Care for Some of the Most Influencial People in Silicon Valley
// MY STORY
How past Secretary of Defense William J. Perry found Pacific Hearing Service the right experts for his needs
As a former Secretary of Defense, William J. Perry has lived a life that few could imagine. But just like millions of people across America, he’s also had to contend with a hearing loss.For over sixteen years, Pacific Hearing Service has been proud to provide William with innovative treatments and excellent care. It’s been fantastic to help him on his journey to better hearing.
// MY STORY
We’re proud to call Ann Hardy a patient: she’s a true Silicon Valley pioneer and a friend.
As a pioneer in computer programming, Ann joined IBM in New York in 1956. Among other projects, Ann worked on one of the first Fortran compilers, which was for STRETCH, IBM’s supercomputer of the day. STRETCH can now be seen in the Computer History Museum.
Ann’s hearing loss journey started when she visited her doctor to complain that she couldn’t hear very well. He referred her to Dr. Deborah Clark at Pacific Hearing Service.
// MY STORY
How Dr. Deborah Clark saved Tom from Brain Surgery
Tom went to Dr. Deborah Clark at Pacific Hearing Service for a second opinion, and his own words says, “She saved me from brain surgery.” – She advised that he may not need surgery and her help resulted in him getting the advice of a neurologist that advised that he didn’t need brain surgery.
The rest is history and Dr. Deborah has been helping Tom to achieve better hearing and continue to bring his unique and memorable personality to the world.
// MY STORY
‘I call them my ears’ – find out why writer and NPR commentator Debbie Duncan loves her Widex hearing aids
Like many people, writer and NPR contributor Debbie Duncan’s children were the first to notice that she had a hearing loss, a friend recommended that she talk to the experts at Pacific Hearing Service. This is where she met Dr. Clark, clinical audiologist at the Los Altos office. “She’s wonderful,” Debbie says. “She figured out that I have a weirdly shaped right ear. She made wearing hearing devices comfortable.”
// MY STORY
They are committed to getting the best results for each patient.
My first experience of a hearing challenge was when I had a sudden and profound hearing loss in my left ear. Prior to visiting Pacific Hearing Service, I didn’t have any concerns, but I was anxious to see what Dr. Baxter and her team could do for me.
My first impression was that Dr. Baxter and her team were extremely passionate about helping those who have lost their hearing and committed to getting the best results for each patient. They are also very thorough and knowledgeable.
They have improved my hearing so that I am not constantly having to say, “What did you say?” or, “Sorry, but I can’t hear you.”My overall verdict of Pacific Hearing Service is that they are excellent.
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Pacific Hearing Service has been helping Silicon Valley’s residents with expert hearing care since 1977.