Middle Ear Implants are used to treat people with Sensorineural Hearing Loss, Conductive Hearing Loss and Mixed Hearing Loss who cannot or do not benefit from wearing traditional hearing aids.
How Middle Ear Implants Work
Unlike Hearing Aids, Middle Ear Implants are surgically-implanted devices that detect sounds by a microphone worn on a sound processor located behind the ear. These sounds are then amplified and transmitted as electronic signals to a device attached to a tiny Middle-Ear bone called the Stapes located next to the Cochlea – the organ that senses sound. This device then translates the electronic signals into vibrations that move across into the Cochlea to create the sensation of sound.
Having Middle Ear Implants are only a small part of the hearing loss management journey to have better hearing. When you make a decision to have Middle Ear Implants it should be part of an overall therapy program with a qualified hearing health professional, such as an audiologist, who can work with you to help your brain make sense of the new information being sent by the implants.
The only Middle Ear Implant available in Australia is MED-EL’s Vibrant Soundbridge.
Watch the video below to see how the Vibrant Soundbridge works.