The cochlear prosthesis. Bringing the world of sound to the deaf

The complexity of coding in the auditory nerve makes it unlikely that a prosthesis for deaf persons can exactly duplicate the normal function of the ear. With recent advances, however, cochlear prostheses can perform some of the frequency-analysis functions of the normal ear. Cochlear prostheses are effective aids to lipreading and allow recognition of some sounds without visual cues, thus enhancing the profoundly deaf person's communication skills substantially.