• 28 million Americans have experienced some degree of hearing loss.1 In fact, hearing loss is the No. 1 birth defect in America. Every day, approximately one in 1,000 infants is born completely deaf, with two to three of every 1,000 infants born with partial hearing loss.2

  • A cochlear implant is very different from a hearing aid. Hearing aids amplify sound, while cochlear implants bypass damaged or non-working parts of the inner ear. When the ear is functioning normally, intricate parts of the inner ear convert sound waves into electrical impulses. These impulses are then sent to the brain, where a hearing person recognizes them as sound. A cochlear implant works in a similar manner, electronically capturing useful sounds and sending them to the brain. Hearing through an implant may sound different from normal hearing, but it allows many people to communicate orally.3

  • There are between 500,000 and 750,000 individuals with severe to complete hearing loss in the United States alone, who could benefit from the cochlear implant.3

  • The cost of deafness, including education and special services, for a person born with hearing loss is over $1 million, compared with an estimated $70,000 for a cochlear implant, an impressive return on investment.4

  • There are approximately 22,000 children and 24,000 adults in the U.S. have cochlear implants.5

  1. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. “Statistics about hearing disorders, ear infections and deafness.” www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/hearing.asp (15 March 2006).

  2. Self Help for Hard of Hearing People. “Facts on hearing loss.” www.shhh.org/html/hearing_loss_fact_sheets.html (22 March 2006).

  3. Blachfield B, Feldman J, Dunbar J. “The severely to profoundly hearing impaired population in the United States: prevalence and demographics.” Policy Analysis Brief, Project HOPE Center for Health Affairs 1(1) (1999):1-4.

  4. Mo B, Lindbaek M, Harris S. “Cochlear implants and quality of life: a prospective study.” Ear Hear 26(2) (2005):186-94.

  5. Industry estimates. 2006.
 
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