Cochlear Implants
405-271-7558

The Oklahoma Ear Institute Cochlear Implant Program

Our cochlear implant program is dedicated to improving the hearing in patients from infancy to elderly adults. Infants, children (those with hearing loss alone to special needs children) and adults as old as 90 have received successfull cochlear implants.

We are affiliated with the Oklahoma School for the Deaf. Our team consists of neurotologist Wayne E. Berryhill, M.D., and specially-trained audiologists, speech pathologists and deaf education specialists.

Benefits of a Cochlear Implant

The cochlear implant is a surgically-implanted hearing device. It works by receiving, processing and delivering sounds to the auditory nerve. The activated acoustic neurons pass the information to the brain where the patient enjoys the sensation of hearing. 

Cochlear implant success depends upon the patient. In general, however, those patients undergoing cochlear implantation report vast improvement over the benefit of their previous hearing aids. If your hearing aids are no longer providing satisfactory benefit, you may be a cochlear implant candidate.

In children, cochlear implants provide the opportunity for the child to develop normal spoken language and interact more completely with a hearing world. Again, success is variable. In general, implants in younger children offer excellent improvement, and with rehabilitation, it is not uncommon for children to develop near normal or normal spoken language and attend regular school settings.