Cochlear implants bring back music to hearing impaired ears

Sydney, July 12 (ANI): For Daniela Andrews listening to music is not a problem anymore as scientists have found that wearing a cochlear implant helps recognizing sound.

Andrews developed a condition three years ago that caused her immune system to attack hair cells in her inner ear, gradually destroying her hearing.

"A lot of people with cochlear implants are so grateful to be able to hear and speak, they don't want to express disappointment about the music side of things," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Andrews as saying.

"But for those of us who have had hearing, a world without music is still a pretty silent world," she added.

The implant works in tandem with a microphone and processor worn like a hearing aid behind the ear, and electrically stimulates the auditory nerve so recipients can hear sound.

"With a cochlear implant, there is a large array of sounds and it's about the brain trying to separate and make sense of them. So the richer the music is, the harder it gets," said Andrews.

"Orchestral music is particularly difficult because it has so many different instruments," she added. (ANI)