Recently I was a part of a very special bloggers’ meet where we were introduced to a wonderful piece of technology which has changed lives for the better! It was about Cochlear India implant which is recommended for people with severe to profound hearing loss. It has an internal implant and a external sound processor. It is compatible with smart app to directly listen to calls and music from the phone itself! We met the family of a 5 year old girl who got this implant when she was 1 year old and learned how it drastically changed her life for the good, as she is as good as a normal child now!
It was shocking to know that there are 360 million people living with disabling hearing loss worldwide, and this figure is set to more than triple to 1.2 billion by 2050! According to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 72 million people in the world right now who could potentially benefit from the use of a hearing device including a cochlear implant or hearing aid.
What are Cochlear Implants?
A cochlear implant is an established, effective and long-term hearing solution for people with moderate to profound hearing loss. Unlike traditional hearing aids that amplify, or make sounds louder, a cochlear implant system can be a more effective hearing solution for certain people. A cochlear implant is capable of directly stimulating the cochlea hearing nerve, bypassing the damaged area of the hearing pathway.
For over 30 years Cochlear has been at the forefront of developing technologically advanced solutions that offer superior hearing performance. In its endeavor to create cutting-edge hearing solutions, Cochlear has helped bring the gift of sound to more than quarter of a million people across the world.
Cochlear implant recipients who still benefit from hearing aids may be able to benefit from hybrid hearing – a unique combination of cochlear implant and acoustic hearing, is available with the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor.
What is the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor?
The Nucleus 7 Sound Processor is the world’s first Made for iPhone cochlear implant sound processor to allow users to stream sound from iPhone, iPad and iPod touch directly to their sound processor, offering greater accessibility, connectivity and wireless solutions. They will also be able to control, monitor and customize their hearing on their iPhone or iPod touch through the Nucleus Smart App available to download for free from the App Store.
The Nucleus Smart App for Android offers greater connectivity than ever before for people with a Nucleus 7 Sound Processor. Users can now control their hearing with the Nucleus Smart App from a compatible Android device, allowing them to monitor and adjust their settings, view personalised hearing information and even locate a missing sound processor, all from the convenience of their smartphone.
Cochlear has added a first-of-its kind control feature called ForwardFocus. This user-activated control feature allows the wearer to hear better in challenging listening environments such as a busy restaurant. When switched on, ForwardFocus reduces distracting noise coming from behind a person, so they can more easily enjoy a face-to-face conversation.
Cochlear’s technology is always backward compatible. The Nucleus 7 Sound Processor is available even to people with a Nucleus 24 Series Implant. This means thousands of people from all over the world living with disabling hearing loss are now able to choose a Nucleus 7 Sound Processor for the first time and benefit from all the technological advancements!
Cochlear Implants’ Global Hearing Ambassador – Brett Lee
As one of the world’s fastest bowlers, who has smashed multiple cricket records, Brett Lee’s target is to reach 466 million people and raise awareness about hearing loss. 466 million is the estimated number of people worldwide who have a disabling hearing loss. Many, however, are not aware of the effects it can have on them or what treatments are available.
Brett Lee said that the 466 million people which include 34 million children, suffer from hearing loss issues across the world. There is a need to solve this problem using technology and to educate people about implants that can eventually change the life of a hearing-impaired person.
Hearing loss is one of the many battles that people fight in life. Often without the right guidance and knowledge, people tend to give up and cease to understand the options available to them. The disability has a significant impact on their quality of lives as there is minimal interaction with their near and dear ones. This, in the end, results in weakening their emotional and physical well-being.
I strongly urge hearing test to be made compulsory in India and the world, as soon as a child is born; so that these kind of issues are detected at neo-natal level and proper treatment can be given using Cochlear implants and aids.
Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions. The company has a global workforce of more than 3,000 people and invests more than AUD$150 million a year in research and development. Products include hearing systems for cochlear implants, bone conduction and acoustic implants, which are designed to treat a range of moderate to profound types of hearing loss. Over 450,000 people of all ages, across more than 100 countries, now hear because of Cochlear.