CI in the future?

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Will CI or other hearing technology in the future, possibly in 10 or 20 years, improve to the point where we can almost hear as normal hearing people?

I am reserving my right ear for such reasons. I have CI implanted in my left ear. I am around 80% fluent orally and I am going to take speech therapies once I graduate college. I don't do ASL since it was my decision not to do it so let's not make this an issue.
 
ID said:
Will CI or other hearing technology in the future, possibly in 10 or 20 years, improve to the point where we can almost hear as normal hearing people?

I am reserving my right ear for such reasons. I have CI implanted in my left ear. I am around 80% fluent orally and I am going to take speech therapies once I graduate college. I don't do ASL since it was my decision not to do it so let's not make this an issue.
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I respect your choice. I have bilateral CIs and love it. I am around 93%. Since I have been dealing with hearing loss for around 35 years (I'm 38). I don't know what is normal hearing. The CI sounds normal to me or better than the hearing aid did for me.
 
Sorry to say, it will never happen. Anyone who is deaf will never become hearing. I believe that there may be a chance of improvement with using CI, or HAs. Technology changes all the time.

Everyone that is deaf is not deaf for the same reasons. I'm deaf because I'm lacking the hairs to send sound to my brain. A friend is deaf because her 3 bones in the middle ear is very tiny. Some are deaf because of hereditary. Some are deaf because of Rubella. Heck, there's some that is deaf by listening too much loud music.

It would be hard, if not, impossible to be able to give every one of these causes of deafness a "cure".

Think of it like a blind person. There's many causes of blindness. Getting a eye transplant is not going to "cure", but may help.

Lately, I've noticed that a lot of people that are bilaterals do very well because they have two. While, 10 or 15 years ago, it was unheard of to do bilateral.
 
LadySekhmet said:
Sorry to say, it will never happen. Anyone who is deaf will never become hearing. I believe that there may be a chance of improvement with using CI, or HAs. Technology changes all the time.

Everyone that is deaf is not deaf for the same reasons. I'm deaf because I'm lacking the hairs to send sound to my brain. A friend is deaf because her 3 bones in the middle ear is very tiny. Some are deaf because of hereditary. Some are deaf because of Rubella. Heck, there's some that is deaf by listening too much loud music.

It would be hard, if not, impossible to be able to give every one of these causes of deafness a "cure".

Think of it like a blind person. There's many causes of blindness. Getting a eye transplant is not going to "cure", but may help.

Lately, I've noticed that a lot of people that are bilaterals do very well because they have two. While, 10 or 15 years ago, it was unheard of to do bilateral.
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:gpost: Right on,LadySekhmet! That is exactly what happen when hard of hearing or hearing people expect to have miracle normal hearing. That is true that it will never happen like this. We will always be deaf or hard of hearing. So let us face the reality and accept what we have for the rest of our lives as a Deaf individual. We are human being, not a robot. :eek:
 
Exactly! Even with stem cells or whatever, it's very doubtful that someone will be able to hear like a hearing person. The ear and technology is only one small part of it. Just b/c an ear works, it doesn't mean that the brain will be able to process the sound like a hearing person.
 
I will argue the contrarian viewpoint ;)

Remembering the old Bionic Man and Women TV series way back...I would like to think future technology will allow me to hear things that the normal hearing cannot. My nickname becomes "Big Ear". :whistle:
 
Yes, but if they did, then why would insurance companies cover them?
 
I struggle with the decision to go bilateral. In a way, I want to go ahead and go bilateral, but in another way in the back of my mind, it's telling me to wait til technology improves but by then I'll be 40-45 and I've already been deaf since birth. I got my 1st CI at 28 yrs old last May. I'm 29. So, I'm most likely just gonna go ahead and go bilateral. I have my next CI mapping session with my favorite audi on the 30th and she plans on discussing in being bilateral. If my insurance approves it, I could be going under the knife for the 2nd time in excatly a year - or it could take a few years if they do not approve.

I am the kind of person who likes hearing from both side, not one like I had been doing since I was 21, due to tinnitus and vertigo, which is why I couldn't wear my hearing aid in my right hear & so that is now the ear I have a CI in. I also stopped wearing my left hearing aid about two months after being activated because the CI works so well that it feels like I can't hear with my hearing aid, when in reality, I can but. . . it's like the CI is hearing well enough to handle just having one CI rather than a CI and hearing aid. I know this all sounds confusing, sorry. :)

Anyways, good luck whatever you do end up on deciding to do for yourself. :)
 
deafmama78 said:
I am the kind of person who likes hearing from both side, not one like I had been doing since I was 21, due to tinnitus and vertigo, which is why I couldn't wear my hearing aid in my right hear & so that is now the ear I have a CI in. I also stopped wearing my left hearing aid about two months after being activated because the CI works so well that it feels like I can't hear with my hearing aid, when in reality, I can but. . . it's like the CI is hearing well enough to handle just having one CI rather than a CI and hearing aid. I know this all sounds confusing, sorry. :)
:)
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Think of it this way, Cochlear is very good with backward compatibility. AB is getting along the right tracks now (10 years ago people who were implanted with AB are unable to get the new HiRes 120 processors). So, I'm not worried about advanced technology. Cochlear will not shun people who has it for years.

I'm also curious if I should go bilateral as well. I have the CI in my worse ear, just in case. I cannot predict what will happen when I get activated. Perhaps next year I will be in the same shoes you are.
 
I'm also curious if I should go bilateral as well. I have the CI in my worse ear, just in case. I cannot predict what will happen when I get activated.
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I think that the bilateral option is gonna be very "case by case" basis. It's always good to wait and see on bilaterals, unless of course you have absolutly NO hearing, which is pretty rare overall. It's not going to be widely unusual, but then again I don't think it will be too common overall, as there will prolly be a lot of people who are happy with CI/HA combo.
 
deafdyke said:
I think that the bilateral option is gonna be very "case by case" basis. It's always good to wait and see on bilaterals, unless of course you have absolutly NO hearing, which is pretty rare overall. It's not going to be widely unusual, but then again I don't think it will be too common overall, as there will prolly be a lot of people who are happy with CI/HA combo.
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bilateral is becoming more and more popular. I am! The sound between one and two can't even be compared. And yes a lot are happy with CI/Ha combo. I was not happy with 17% and 1%. I am happy with 93% and 84%.


I was told from a bilateral CI person that her dr said there are around 3200 bilateral worldwide.


It really depends on the individual like you said.
 
deafdyke said:
Yes, but if they did, then why would insurance companies cover them?
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Why wouldnt they? I am not sure if I am understanding your question. Can u clarify for me? Thanks!
 
deafdyke said:
Yes, but if they did, then why would insurance companies cover them?
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Do you mean bilateral? Insurance companies don't want to cover them. You have to fight for them most of the time. but times have changed and a lot of policies have been changed.
 
I don't plan on going bilateral in near future but I'm planning in 5-15 years. If I had to pick 3 ci in future (completely implantable ha/ci or hybrid ci or ribbon-like electrode with 48 electrodes on it that will go in much deeper than any of them) I'll pick ribbon like one cuz it will go in really deep and have most electrodes and will get much more of low frequency sounds and have option of programs, volume and capability of turning it off whenever I want lol. Future is looking really bright for CI I wonder if they will have super thin electode with like 500 electodes that goes all the way to end of cochlea to stimulate ALL frequency wouldn't that be awesome?!
 
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