Hearing Well Thanks to a Bone-Conduction Implant
As Mirco's hearing continued to deteriorate during his studies, it became clear that conventional hearing aids could not adequately compensate for his hearing loss. He received bone-conduction implants and has been leading an active life ever since.
Even as a child, Mirco had troublehearing—especially when he had a cold. During his school years—particularly in a noisy classroom with a lot of background noise—Mirco found it increasingly difficult to follow the lessons. Conventional hearing aids did not provide the desired results.
When Conventional Hearing Aids Reach Their Limits
Mirco followed the usual path with his parents and had his hearing loss checked by anENT doctor. The doctor conducted hearing tests and diagnosedhearingloss. This was followed by a visit toa hearing care professional, who fitted Mirco with conventional hearing aids. Unfortunately, even with the conventional hearing aids, Mirco still couldn’t hear well. “For me, that was an unsatisfactory solution, since, on the one hand, my hearing could only be improved to a limited extent, and on the other hand, wearing thehearing aids was uncomfortable for me for various reasons,” Mirco explains.When Mirco was 16 years old, theENT doctor prescribed hearing aids for him a second time—noting that the technology had advanced and a better hearing experience was now possible. But Mirco wasn’t really happy with these hearing aids either.
Impaired Social Life
“My hearing loss was generally always a problem whenever I wanted to talk to other people in noisy environments,” says Mirco. “This applied just as much to studying in the classroom as it did to conversations at parties, clubs, bars, and restaurants. As a result, my social life was affected in certain situations.”
Ultimately, it was his friends who encouraged him to address his hearing loss and look for a solution that would allow him to hear better.
Who Can Benefit from Cochlear Implants?
Hearing implantsare an alternative to hearing aids. Most people withhearingloss can be helped withhearingaids. However, there are also particularly severe forms of hearing loss in which those affected can understand very little even with high-performance hearing aids. For them, talking on the phone or having a conversation with others—especially in a noisy environment—is often no longer possible. In such cases, cochlear implants offer the chance to reconnect with the world of sound.
Signs that hearing aids are not enough
Even though you wear hearing aids, …:
- you have difficulty hearing and understanding conversations, especially when there is background noise.
- you frequently ask others to repeat what they’ve said.
- you misunderstand what is being said.
- do you have trouble talking on the phone?
- do you keep turning up the volume on the TV?
- Do you often feel that others speak unclearly or mumble?
- Do you find it very difficult to hear sounds of nature, such as birds chirping or rain?
- Do you withdraw from conversations because listening is too difficult?
- Do you read lips to understand what is being said?
Finally, I Can Hear!
Mirco was examined by Prof. Thomas Lenarz at the ENT Clinic in Hanover. He advised Mirco to have amiddle ear implantinserted to replace the function of the ossicles. During the surgery, however, it was determined that this wasn’t possible due to specificanatomicalconditions. As a result, Mirco received abone-conduction implant. “A key factor in my decision was that the implant is completely under the skin and doesn’t protrude partially from the scalp, as is the case with other systems,” explains Mirco.
When the implant was activated some time after thesurgery, Mirco immediately noticed a difference and was very relieved by his new hearing experience and how well the hearing implants help him. “I realized right away that my quality of life had improved significantly,” Mirco says happily. He now wears the bone-conduction implants both at work and in his free time—and even while playing sports.
“Communicating with the people around me is much easier now. I can follow conversations better, and it’s no longer as tiring for me to actively participate in them. That makes my social life much easier. In my job at a dairy office, I interact with people a lot and need to be able to respond to them. Withouthearing implants, I wouldn’t be able to do my job the way I do now.”Learn more about Mirco and his journey to communicating freely, his successful studies, and his work in this video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEX-nG_if8g.
How does a bone-conduction implant actually work, and when is it appropriate? Find out this and more here.
