The following answer has kindly been provided by Cochlear Europe:

"The emitted energy of Mobile Phones transmitting towers is significantly smaller when compared with the energy emitted from a mobile phone directly over the ear. Up to date we do not have any confirmed and repeatable incidences of interference due to Base Station Antennas. A cochlear implant user does not have to expect complications caused by base station antennas in the vicinity."

(Neither The Ear Foundation nor Cochlear Europe accept any liability for the content of this answer, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.)

In Europe the majority of cochlear implants are supplied by one of 3 leading manufacturers: Cochlear Ltd, MED-EL and Advanced Bionics. Different cochlear implant centres may work with different manufacturers - contact your local centre to find out which implants they use. If you wish to find out more about the different manufacturers click on the links below, they will open in a new window so you can easily return to this page.

Advanced Bionics

Cochlear

MED-EL

Yes. There are a number of Cochlear Implant Centres in the United Kingdom. Usually you will be referred to your nearest centre. To find out where your nearest centre is please visit the British Cochlear Implant Group website.

It can sometimes take several months to fully establish a very young child’s audiological profile to show that they are achieving limited benefit from their hearing aids. However, if you think your child’s hearing falls within the limits of the audiological criteria for cochlear implantation, you should talk to your Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Consultant and discuss a referral to your nearest Cochlear Implant Centre.

If your child is older and you feel they are not progressing well with their hearing aids or that their hearing is deteriorating, again you should discuss a referral to your local Cochlear Implant Centre with your ENT Consultant.

A cochlear implant stimulates the hearing nerve directly to send impulses to the brain - these are interpreted as sounds. The externally worn microphone picks up the sound and sends it to the speech processor. The processor converts the sound into an elec

The professionals you will meet at the Implant Centre can give you lots of information. However, most families find talking to other parents and children who have gone through the assessment process invaluable. The Cochlear Implanted Children’s support group (CICS) can put you in touch with another family in your area. They also organise several social events throughout the year. Click on the link below for their contact details. CICS

It is important to remember that all children respond differently to their implants with some achieving greater benefits than others.

With a cochlear implant a child should be able to hear quieter sounds, especially at high frequencies, than with their hearing aids. Therefore we would expect the speech of a child with a cochlear implant to be easier to understand.

Research from the Nottingham Paediatric Cochlear Implant Programme can give you an idea of the range of achievements attained by their children.

Click on this page on the Queens Medical Centre Nottingham website to read about their outcomes.

There is little or no benefit from conventional hearing aids

They have no medical condition that would prevent surgery taking place

They are able to attend all the follow-up sessions at the Implant Centre

They have local support from family and professionals who are committed to working with the family and the implant team

Please see the website of the British Cochlear Implant Group (BCIG) and click on this link to the page entitled Safety Guidelines

As this page states, "Cochlear implant users may find it helpful to go through these guidelines with the staff at their cochlear implant centre".

For people who do not use a cochlear implant it is very difficult to imagine what one would sound like. Adults who have lost their hearing and have gone on to use a cochlear implant report that, at first, the sounds are rather ‘metallic’ or ‘digital’. However, once they have had some practice listening with their implant they say it begins to sound more natural and much clearer. A very young child who has had little or no experience of sound may adjust quickly to the sound from an implant. To use an implant effectively a child needs to learn how to identify and interpret lots of different sounds.

For further information see the Rehabilitation section of FAQs.

A cochlear implant is a sophisticated hearing aid. A cochlear implant consists of 2 main parts, the internal device and the external equipment. The internal device consists of a small line of electrodes, which is surgically placed within the cochlea. The electrodes are attached to a receiver that is placed under the skin behind the ear. The external equipment consists of a speech processor; this could be a body-worn processor or a behind-the-ear processor. The processor is connected to a microphone and transmitting coil. The transmitting coil attaches to the head over the internal receiver by way of a magnet and sends the signal to the internal device.

In the United Kingdom the youngest child to receive an implant was 6 months old, he had lost his hearing through meningitis. It is now becoming more common for implant centres to implant children under the age of 2 years.

A cochlear implant is for severe to profoundly deaf children and adults who only get little or no help from hearing aids. Many children cannot learn spoken language in a natural way through hearing aids; a cochlear implant may help them hear speech. Children with cochlear implants behave like a child with a mild loss of hearing, many can understand speech without lip-reading and some can even use a telephone.

Although your child will be able to take part in many sporting and play activities, there are some restrictions. You should carefully read the British Cochlear Implant Group (BCIG) safety guidelines. These cover what precautions you should take about sport and play. They also have useful information about travelling with a cochlear implant and static electricity. Static electricity can corrupt your child’s speech processor and, very rarely, the internal device. Static electricity can occur in lots of places, you may notice it when you get a ‘shock’ when you get out of the car. It is easy to reduce the risk from static electricity. It is essential to remove your child’s speech processor before they play on plastic equipment such as a plastic slide or bouncy castle.
Click on the link below to open the BCIG safety guidelines:

BCIG Safety Guidelines