It’s time to hear
what you’ve been missing.

Take a short quiz

Want to know if an acoustic implant may be a solution for you or your loved one? Take a short hearing quiz*

I have trouble following conversations in a quiet room

On a scale of 1 to 5

1
2
3
4
5
Disagree
Agree

I have trouble following conversations in a noisy situation such as a restaurant or at work meetings

On a scale of 1 to 5

1
2
3
4
5
Disagree
Agree

I have trouble hearing sounds at a distance, such as a speaker in a lecture room or a place of worship

On a scale of 1 to 5

1
2
3
4
5
Disagree
Agree

I have trouble locating where sound comes from

On a scale of 1 to 5

1
2
3
4
5
Disagree
Agree

I often have to ask people to repeat themselves

On a scale of 1 to 5

1
2
3
4
5
Disagree
Agree

I feel tired at the end of the day after straining to adapt to different sound environments and noises

On a scale of 1 to 5

1
2
3
4
5
Disagree
Agree

I have a hearing loss in one ear and normal hearing in the other ear

Yes
No
Don’t know

I cannot wear hearing aids due to recurring ear infections

Yes
No
Sometimes
Don’t know
*Source: Koike, J.; Hurst, M.K.; and Wetmore, S. J. Correlation between the American Academy of Otolaryngology -Head and Neck Surgery five-minute hearing test and standard audiological data, Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Survery, Volume 111 (5), pp. 625-632.

Everyone has a different story

Perhaps you woke up one morning and found that you couldn’t hear on one side. Maybe you went through childhood struggling to hear even though you tried hearing aid after hearing aid.

Hearing implants work differently to normal hearing aids, and depending on your situation, could make a positive impact on how well you can hear and communicate.

After struggling with hearing loss for years, Chris can’t imagine living life without the Cochlear™ Osia® System.

Request more information Find a hearing implant clinic

Adrian

“Just not having to ask things again, or to miss parts of conversation, makes my day run a lot smoother. And to be able to hear sound on both sides makes my hearing more complete.”

Adrian, Cochlear Osia System recipient*

What is single-sided deafness?

Single-sided deafness (SSD) is the loss of all or almost all hearing in one ear.

You can be worn with SSD, it can happen suddenly or over time. It makes locating sounds and hearing in noisy environments difficult. The hearing loss associated with SSD is sensorineural, when the inner ear – or less often the hearing nerve – isn’t working correctly.

Although SSD cannot be cured, there are solutions that may restore the sensation of hearing from both sides.

What is bone conduction?

When we think of hearing, we think of our ears picking up sound, but did you know that we can also hear sound via the skull?
Bone conduction is a term to describe how sound waves travel through the skull to reach the inner ear.

Cochlear Acoustic Implants work on this principle of bone conduction and use the skull to send clear, crisp sound¹ directly to the inner ear, completely bypassing the middle ear. The sound processor picks up sound and sends it to a vibrating element, called the transducer. The transducer, connected to a small implant fused with the bone, sends the sound as vibrations to the inner ear. They are then converted into electrical impulses which are interpreted by the brain as sound.

How can bone conduction help me?

Cochlear hearing solutions that use bone conduction pick up sounds from your deaf side and send them directly to the inner ear on your hearing side, via the bones of your skull.

The benefits include:

  • Clearer and more crisp sound1 than with hearing aids
  • Better speech understanding in noise than hearing aids2,3
  • Hearing with two ears allows you to identify sounds both near and far, as well as those that occur around your head.4

How is hearing through bone conduction different from CROS hearing aids?

Contralateral routing of signal (CROS) hearing aids can be a solution for SSD. With a CROS hearing aid, you wear a device in both ears. A microphone placed on your deaf side, transmits to a receiver on your hearing side.

 

Hearing through bone conduction

  • Better speech understanding in noise2
  • Can be worn on one side
  • Sends sound directly to your inner ear

CROS hearing aids

  • Needs to be worn on both sides
  • Sends sound via the outer and middle ear to your inner ear

Recipient stories

Adrian, Cochlear Osia System recipient*

Adrian is a 50-year old psychiatric nurse and passionate singer. The Osia System has made his life easier and given him more confidence at work.

“I felt this sense of relief… It was more a sense of completeness, and not having to impose a little bit on people and ask them to repeat themselves. Just being able to engage like a full hearing person, it’s hard to explain.”

 

 

Cynthia, Cochlear Baha® System recipient*

Cynthia woke up on the 4th of October realising something was terribly wrong. She could no longer hear out of her left ear. When she tried the Baha System she felt a sense of wholeness again and decided to go for surgery.

“With this amazing technology I’ve been able to really live my life normally and haven’t had to compromise in any way.”

REFERENCES

  1. Gustafsson J. BCDrive performance vs. conventional bone conduction transducer. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB, 629908, 2015.
  2. Niparko JK, Cox KM, Lustig LR. Comparison of the bone-anchored hearing aid implantable hearing device with contralateral routing of offside signal amplification in the rehabilitation of unilateral deafness. Otology & Neurotology, 2003 Jan;24(1):73-78.
  3. den Besten CA, Monksfield P, Bosman A, Skarzynski PH, Green K, Runge C, Wigren S, Blechert JI, Flynn MC, Mylanus EAM, Hol MK. Audiological and clinical outcomes of a transcutaneous bone conduction hearing implant: six-month results from a multicentre study. Clin Otolaryngol. 2018 Oct 25. doi: 10.1111/coa.13248. [Epub ahead of print].
  4. Wazen JJ, Spitzer JB, Ghossaini SN, Fayad JN, Niparko JK, Cox K, et al. Transcranial contralateral cochlear stimulation in unilateral deafness. Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery 2003;129(3):248-54.

Please seek advice from your health professional about treatments for hearing loss. Outcomes may vary, and your health professional will advise you about the factors which could affect your outcome. Always read the instructions for use. Not all products are available in all countries. Please contact your local Cochlear representative for product information.

*Views expressed are those of the individual. Consult your hearing health provider to determine if you are a candidate for Cochlear technology.

Cochlear, Hear now. And always, Nucleus, Kanso, Baha, Osia, the elliptical logo, and marks bearing an ® or ™ symbol, are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Cochlear Limited or Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB (unless otherwise noted).

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