Implantable hearing aids have been around for awhile now. Until now, though, they have been "experimental" in the United States. Now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued its first approval for an implantable hearing aid for the middle ear.
This implantable hearing aid is a possible answer for hard of hearing people who do not want visible hearing aids. A clinical trial found that people heard better with the implantable hearing aid, the Esteem from Envoy Medical Corporation. Any possible side effects were similar to those with cochlear implants, and resolved themselves.
However, it is still a hearing aid that uses a battery! According t...
Maybe it does, and then again maybe it does not. We will have to wait for the results of an ongoing study to find out.
Why Don't People Get Hearing Aids?
HearDoc has posted an interesting poll on the forum asking "what is the number one reason people with hearing loss don't get hearing aids?" The choices that HearDoc gives are:
- Doesn't believe he/she needs hearing aids
- Appearance of hearing aids
- Cost - hearing aids are too expensive
- Person feels hearing aids make them feel old
Even if you don't vote, you can view the current results. At the time I checked the poll, the leading reason was cost. Maybe you have a different opinion?
Have you experienced sudden hearing loss? How did you cope with it without becoming depressed? As someone who was born deaf and grew up deaf, deafness is second nature for me. Therefore I can sympathize, but I can not empathize, with someone who has just experienced sudden deafness. What advice would you give to someone who has just become suddenly deaf after having been a hearing person (or merely mildly hard of hearing) ?
