There is a device called the BAHA which stands for Bone Anchored Hearing Aid. It is designed to transmit sound via the vibration of the skull, thus bypassing the conductive component of the middle ear. It is great for patients with huge conductive hearing losses as well as single-sided deafness. Essentially, a titanium abutment is surgically placed on the posterior portion of your temporal bone (around the mastoid) of the poor ear and the device snaps onto it enabling the sound to transmit to the good side. So the ear is unoccluded and patients gets the benefit of hearing, localization without the head-shadow effect. The cochlear implant route is typically for patients who have a bilateral severe to profound hearing losses and power hearing devices are generally of little to no benefit. The surgeon would insert an electrode array in the inner ear which stimulates the auditory nerve directly. Obviously it completely obliterates the hair cells of the cochlea which is why some patients wait to have implantation or have a bilateral cochlear implant on the other side mostly to preserve the fine structures of the hearing organ. Unlike heaing aids, the best part is that most insurances pay for the device, including surgery for both options. However there are certain criterias that need to be met in testing which is crucial for authorization. Make sure you check with your audiologist.
Surprised you didn't pick up on this bit in the article: Jeremy Lin trying to disguise himself, doing undercover hospital work in Houston.
