In This Section
Rehabilitation for Single-Sided Hearing Loss
Patients with hearing loss in one ear may benefit from a hearing aid on that side. People who have complete hearing loss on one side (single-sided or unilateral deafness) will still be able to communicate in most situations. They will, however, have difficulty listening to conversation from the involved side, understanding speech in background noise, and telling where sounds are coming from.
There are a number of options for patients with this type of hearing loss. All of these options involve sending the sound to the other, good ear. One of the options is a surgical implant that delivers the sound directly to the bone behind the involved ear. Sound delivered to bone passes across the head to the other side. The other option uses a set of hearing aids that are connected by a wireless link. These options are compared in the table below. Feel free to ask your surgeon or audiologist to discuss these options with you.
|
|
Baha |
Phonak Spice CROS/BICROS |
|
Surgery |
||
|
Implant lies under the skin |
No |
Non-surgical hearing aids |
|
Hair follicles need to be removed |
Yes |
N/A |
|
Healing time before use |
~3 months (adults); 6 months (peds) |
N/A |
|
Device |
||
|
Sound processing |
Digital |
Digital |
|
Programs (settings for different listening environments) |
3 |
Depends on model of receiving aid on better ear |
|
Battery size & expected life |
BP100 – size 13 |
3 days to 1 week (depends on the model) |
|
Colors |
Black, brown, silver, beige, charcoal and white |
Black, brown, silver, gray, beige, taupe and blue |
|
FM compatibility |
Yes |
Yes. (may need additional accessories) |
|
Other Health Considerations |
||
|
Risk of infection |
Need minimal daily care around the implant |
N/A |
|
Future MRIs |
ok without processor |
N/A |
|
Costs |
||
|
Approximate Price |
Up to $35,000 |
Transmitter: $790 |
|
Warranty |
2 yr. repair and 1x L&D |
2 yr. repair and 1x L&D |
|
Refund available? |
Yes, processors can be exchanged within 90 days after fit date and returned 30 days after the fit date. Registration card must be sent in at fit date. |
30 day return privilege |
|
Life of internal and external component |
Internal: lifetime |
Life: 5 to 10 years |