Many of you may have no idea what I talk about when I mention a Cochlear Implant. I will start from the basics of what they are, what it is like to hear through them and introduce you to the current generation of implants, and what the differences between the new one and the fourth generation (the one that came before it) are.
A Cochlear Implant is an electronic tool which takes sound stimuli from the environment and transfers it into the cochlea within the inner ear in the form of electronic beeps. The wearer can then interpret these beeps to make actual sounds from them. They are mandatory for those with complete hearing loss as without them, you'd be obviously unable to hear and thus be without a sense. This is dangerous in crowded or busy scenarios, and a hinderance in meetings and communication-based events. The beeps are not heard by the wearer as 'beeps' as such, rather, longer and deeper (or sharper) sounds depending on the context of the sound.
Many wearers of the cochlear have normal ears (like myself) and it is difficult to tell they are deaf unless they tell you. It can be taken as a compliment if you forget later in conversation, but do try to remember as some deaf people have strategies which they like to implement to ensure they can hear and interpret as much of the conversation as possible, like reminding the speaker not to mutter.
Many wearers of the cochlear have normal ears (like myself) and it is difficult to tell they are deaf unless they tell you. It can be taken as a compliment if you forget later in conversation, but do try to remember as some deaf people have strategies which they like to implement to ensure they can hear and interpret as much of the conversation as possible, like reminding the speaker not to mutter.
Generation 4
Generation 4 was much lighter than the very clunky generation 3 (which looked similar to this, but had additional weight and a pull-down cover for the battery compartment) and had much better sound. The options for this hearing-aid were visible on the back, and the sensitivity controls were below a small LCD screen which showed you if there were any errors regarding the implant. The mould at the end was optional (I didn't have one) and you can instead get a rubber tube to surround the ear to keep it on, much like the old one (which the third generation really needed due to a terrible stay-on capability) but this one needed nothing. Sound was crisp, you could install multiple programs and it was simple to connect a cable to the bottom of the implant from a computer or other device so you can listen to music discreetly.
Generation 4 was much lighter than the very clunky generation 3 (which looked similar to this, but had additional weight and a pull-down cover for the battery compartment) and had much better sound. The options for this hearing-aid were visible on the back, and the sensitivity controls were below a small LCD screen which showed you if there were any errors regarding the implant. The mould at the end was optional (I didn't have one) and you can instead get a rubber tube to surround the ear to keep it on, much like the old one (which the third generation really needed due to a terrible stay-on capability) but this one needed nothing. Sound was crisp, you could install multiple programs and it was simple to connect a cable to the bottom of the implant from a computer or other device so you can listen to music discreetly.
Generation 5
'Horrible' would be putting it quite lightly. From Generation 3 to 4 were much-needed improvements, but generation 5 drops many of these improvements to become lighter and more discreet (which is contradictory, looking at how the actual magnet casing at the top right is larger!) and as a result, it's so much harder to actually use. There is no LCD screen, but there's a flashing light at the front of the cochlear (again, not discreet, and not something you want going off in a cinema, I don't think) though you have to know what the flashing colours actually mean to be able to interpret it properly. I think the flash is really made for children whose mothers need to know if the magnet's fallen off the child's head. The coil between the computer (or music player) now fits at the back of the cochlear and is so cumbersome to fit in that you'll need to take the cochlear off in order to move the casing up, and you'll also need to ensure you have the new coil because otherwise the coil will stick out of the back and add more weight horizontally.
The major, major beef I have with this is the pure lack of ease of use. The cochlear comes with an EXTERNAL sensitivity controller, which looks much like a mobile phone or an ipod shuffle, or a cross between the two. Lose this and you're done. Additionally, changing programs resets the sensitivity to 12, something generation 4 didn't do. The external controller needs charging, something gen 4 didn't. The external controller's rather cumbersome, something gen 4 wasn't.
As an example, I was playing some music on program 3 (a program made for hearing music as it allowed some parts of sound to come out more than others, though I still can't hear tunes, tone or pitch in most cases) and someone came in wanting to talk to me. In generation 4, I'd just turn the sensitivity of my hearing-aid up so that it could take in more background sound in comparison to what I was plugged into. But for this, I had to scavenge for the controller. I clicked the sensitivity increase, but it only increased the volume of the sound. Annoyed, I turned it to program 1 and what felt like a blast of 200 decibels hit the side of my head. I yanked out the hearing-aid, cursing. The sensitivity was at maximum, the volume was all screwed and I was therefore unable to wear the cochlear after that due to a splitting headache. Just thank the heavens my cochlear was limited to about 100 decibels, the maximum I can hear before being in pain.
So the Generation 5 can't distinguish between plugged-in devices and external sounds anymore, only increase the volume of them. So I can't listen to music properly anymore.
Absolute rubbish, and far too different from the gen 4. We needed improvements, not drastic changes.
'Horrible' would be putting it quite lightly. From Generation 3 to 4 were much-needed improvements, but generation 5 drops many of these improvements to become lighter and more discreet (which is contradictory, looking at how the actual magnet casing at the top right is larger!) and as a result, it's so much harder to actually use. There is no LCD screen, but there's a flashing light at the front of the cochlear (again, not discreet, and not something you want going off in a cinema, I don't think) though you have to know what the flashing colours actually mean to be able to interpret it properly. I think the flash is really made for children whose mothers need to know if the magnet's fallen off the child's head. The coil between the computer (or music player) now fits at the back of the cochlear and is so cumbersome to fit in that you'll need to take the cochlear off in order to move the casing up, and you'll also need to ensure you have the new coil because otherwise the coil will stick out of the back and add more weight horizontally.
The major, major beef I have with this is the pure lack of ease of use. The cochlear comes with an EXTERNAL sensitivity controller, which looks much like a mobile phone or an ipod shuffle, or a cross between the two. Lose this and you're done. Additionally, changing programs resets the sensitivity to 12, something generation 4 didn't do. The external controller needs charging, something gen 4 didn't. The external controller's rather cumbersome, something gen 4 wasn't.
As an example, I was playing some music on program 3 (a program made for hearing music as it allowed some parts of sound to come out more than others, though I still can't hear tunes, tone or pitch in most cases) and someone came in wanting to talk to me. In generation 4, I'd just turn the sensitivity of my hearing-aid up so that it could take in more background sound in comparison to what I was plugged into. But for this, I had to scavenge for the controller. I clicked the sensitivity increase, but it only increased the volume of the sound. Annoyed, I turned it to program 1 and what felt like a blast of 200 decibels hit the side of my head. I yanked out the hearing-aid, cursing. The sensitivity was at maximum, the volume was all screwed and I was therefore unable to wear the cochlear after that due to a splitting headache. Just thank the heavens my cochlear was limited to about 100 decibels, the maximum I can hear before being in pain.
So the Generation 5 can't distinguish between plugged-in devices and external sounds anymore, only increase the volume of them. So I can't listen to music properly anymore.
Absolute rubbish, and far too different from the gen 4. We needed improvements, not drastic changes.
That said, I've nothing against Graeme Clark (pioneer of the Cochlear Implant, pictured) I'm just saying the design's being taken the wrong way by the design team.
[Annoyingly I had to retype this below paragraph due to a lack of multi-copy in this day and age - I'd copied the web address after copying and deleting a paragraph!]
[Annoyingly I had to retype this below paragraph due to a lack of multi-copy in this day and age - I'd copied the web address after copying and deleting a paragraph!]
Also, despite their recommendations, audiologists cannot truly hear what it is like for a deaf person. When using a cochlear implant, the user can adjust the sensitivity level (how much sound is picked up) of the microphone from 0 (none) to 20 (everything possible). They suggest putting it around 12 which cuts out a lot of background noise, but I find this nonsense, despite that the brain can eventually adapt to this. This is because of multiple reasons. The first one is that once you go down to 12, everything becomes so muffled it's like having cotton wool in your ear. No background sound can be heard, except as a vibration. I was walking in the car park hours after receiving it, and I couldn't even hear a car drive past, only feel it. Ridiculously dangerous - I can't imagine using a low sensitivity if electric cars become the norm either. As soon as I got home, I turned it up to 18, a far more sensible number, particularly if you want to hear things occurring in other rooms. Most people I spoke to with a low hearing-aid sensitivity just kept asking me to repeat things and once I told them to turn it up, they were able to hear better, even if the conversation was in a quiet room. I think a low sensitivity actually hurts your hearing ability and how you interpret sounds - over-reliance on it will only hinder conversational skills as you will NOT be able to hear if someone else other than who you're directly talking to is talking at all.
So after the end of today, I'm feeling quite angry and disconcerted (as well as having a sore ear and headache). Changing hearing-aid or listening device is something you'll never get used to as it's a part of you that changes and your brain has to rewire itself, an upsetting experience for some. It doesn't have to be made more difficult or change drastically, we only need improvements to the sound quality, not the architecture and use or design of the entire thing.