Understanding Hearing Loss

Take the next step on your journey towards better hearing.

Contact a hearing specialist from Advanced Bionics to learn more about cochlear implants.

BACK TO BEING YOU

Hearing plays a vital role in living a happy, healthy life. The reality today is that more people face hearing loss than ever before—466 million people, nearly 5% of the world’s population. Left untreated, it can become a struggle to fully connect with family, friends, and the world.

The good news is that addressing your hearing loss is one of the best ways to get back on the road to feeling confident and at ease in daily situations. Improving your hearing can help you feel more connected to the people and the world around you, as well as helping your brain stay sharp and engaged. Hearing solutions, including cochlear implants, may enable you to enjoy the sounds and people you love and let you simply be and express yourself once again.

CAN A COCHLEAR IMPLANT HELP YOU?

marvel ci with phonak bimodal product in velvet black

If you continue to have challenges hearing even when using some of the latest and most powerful hearing aids, a cochlear implant from Advanced Bionics may be the solution you've been waiting for.

Cochlear implants work differently than hearing aids. Hearing aids help by making sounds louder; however, cochlear implants can be a more effective option for both adults and children with more significant hearing loss.

THE BENEFITS OF A COCHLEAR IMPLANT

Decades of research and experience demonstrate that cochlear implants help improve:

Speech understanding ^{1, 2, 5, 6}
Hearing in noise ^{1, 6}
Verbal and memory functions ^{2, 4}
General quality of life^{1, 3, 6}
Overall health ^{4, 5}

TAKE OUR COCHLEAR IMPLANT QUIZ

If you are wearing appropriately fitted hearing aids and can identify with several of the statements below, we recommend you contact a hearing care professional for a discussion about cochlear implants.

✓		I feel stressed or tired from trying to hear what people say.
✓		I find it easier to understand someone when I can see their face.
✓		I often avoid social situations and activities that I used to enjoy.
✓		I experience troubles hearing on the phone.
✓		I am no longer enjoying music.
✓		I need captions when watching TV.
✓		I feel embarrassed about misunderstanding what people say.
✓		I feel anxiety about being in social environments because I may not be able to hear people.
✓		I feel stressed or nervous when moving around outside as I don’t hear traffic or other environmental sounds before I see them.

CAN I AFFORD A COCHLEAR IMPLANT?

Cochlear implants are often covered by Medicare and many private insurance companies*.

Contact your insurance company or AB's Insurance Reimbursement Services Team at 877.779.0229 or insurance@advancedbionics.com to determine your specific coverage. The cost of a cochlear implant will vary based on your personal health plan.

* Cochlear implants are covered for Medicare beneficiaries who meet the CMS criteria for coverage and coverage for adult Medicaid recipients varies according to state specific guidelines

HOW DOES A COCHLEAR IMPLANT WORK?

A cochlear implant system includes several pieces of technology that work together to bypass the damaged parts of your hearing organ—restoring hearing by sending sound directly to the hearing nerve. The first is an internal component (the implant and electrode array) which is implanted by a surgeon. And the second is a series of external components that is worn on the ear and attaches to the implant (the headpiece and processor).

HEAR WITH BOTH EARS

Depending on your hearing loss, you may benefit from a cochlear implant in one ear and a hearing aid in the other.

Hearing with both ears offers a clear advantage, especially when it comes to making it easier to understand speech and experience where sounds are coming from - even in noisy environments.

This is commonly referred to as bimodal hearing. Advanced Bionics works closely with Phonak, our sister company, and global leader in hearing aid technology, to offer the only cochlear implant systems designed to work together with hearing aids as an integrated pair. These bimodal solutions allow you to enjoy synchronized sound from both ears, remote control, Bluetooth streaming, and hands-free calling to both ears.

THE NEXT STEPS TOWARDS BETTER HEARING MIGHT BE EASIER THAN YOU THINK

1		Professional hearing evaluation Contact your current hearing care professional or find one here for a hearing test and evaluation to determine if a cochlear implant is the right solution for you. Find a professional here.
2		Insurance approval If you are a cochlear implant candidate, your hearing implant center will work with your insurance company to determine your eligibility for coverage.
3		Outpatient surgery Today, cochlear implant surgery is a routine outpatient procedure that usually takes 2 – 3 hours under general anesthesia.
4		Activation You will meet your audiologist 2 – 4 weeks after surgery to activate your cochlear implant. This is an important day when you will begin to hear sound through your cochlear implant. The first experience will vary depending on your degree and duration of hearing loss.
5		Ongoing rehabilitation As with other medical procedures, rehabilitation will help you get the most out of your cochlear implant. Your brain needs to learn, understand, and interpret sounds again. Your audiologist or rehab professional will meet with you over the first months to help you. They can also make adjustments and fine tune your sound processor to help ensure the best possible hearing experience. You can get started on your own using the free resources at HearingSuccess.com.

WHY CHOOSE ADVANCED BIONICS

Advanced Bionics is proud to be the only U.S.–based manufacturer of cochlear implants. While our products are sold around the world, our manufacturing is done in the technology hub of Southern California, a region that is known for breakthroughs and innovations.

For over 25 years, we’ve been developing leading hearing innovations that help people hear again, or for the first time. Our partnership with Phonak allows us to provide even more leading-edge hearing loss solutions through our integration with the world’s most advanced and trusted power hearing aid company.

Together, as the world’s largest and most innovative provider of solutions for patients with every type and degree of hearing loss, we’re driving a fully integrated approach that’s pushing the boundaries of what’s possible as no other audiology company can.

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