Having a close relationship with someone deaf can really change your perception of life. People with severe nerve deafness in one or both ears, have to adapt themselves to society since it doesn't seem to be the other way around.
However, science has provided a simulator of natural hearing since the middle of 1980 called COCHLEAR IMPLANT, also known as bionic ear.
The CI contains electronic circuits that processes when receiving sounds stimuli from the outside, sending electronic currents to the auditory nerve. Once it's activated, it sends hearing signals to the brain, which recognize those signals and stimulates hearing. This device is implanted in the inner ear, which is connected with a "worm", a hole made in the brain that will connect with the external components such as the transmitter, the sound processor and the microphone.
Despite all the advantages, many people, especially from the Deaf Community, have expressed their disagreement. Many deaf people who have gotten their cochlear implants, have experienced serious problems during the surgical implant procedure since it increases the risk of infection in the skin wound, meningitis, and cerebrospinal fluid leak from the inner ear.
After getting used to the device, they start experiencing strange sounds, not being able to understand the language properly, and having "Tinnitus", which is hearing a constant ringing or hissing even if it doesn't come from the outside, making them feel dizzy, and lose their balance.
After all I've learnt, I came to understand why many people don't get them.
Would you get a cochlear implant? Or would you join the Deaf Community?
Would you teach society about deaf culture?
I wouldn't, definitely. When I read that substance (cerebrospinal fluid) which could leak out my ear if I was deaf and used one of those, I thought that it is (indeed not less complicated) better to learn the signal language and thus avoid the exposure to diseases.
ReplyDeleteSome could say "It is better to have proved this at least once and to find out what sound are like," but I wouldn't go for that if at first I heard things to later start hearing incomprehensible sounds or hissing. No, definitely.
Exactly. Most people get infected during the surgical procedure and even more in the next few days after the intervention. It could be great at first, especially for those people who get their CI activated when they are deaf from both ears, but then they develop multiple problems and the level of risks increases.
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