Implantable Hearing Aid

I've had a lot of patients asking about the new implantable hearing system that is being advertised. For those who are curious or would like to have some answers for their patient's here is an article from today's Sun Times about the benefits and substantial negatives of this system.

Music to their ears

HEARING PROBLEMS | Lyric is 'huge improvement' over old devices

December 9, 2008

BY MONIFA THOMAS

They amplify background noise. The batteries have to be replaced every week or so. And they aren't very attractive.

Those are some of the complaints people have about hearing aids. It's enough that many people would rather live with hearing loss than wear hearing aids.

» Click to enlarge image

The Lyric (inset) is inserted 4 millimeters from the eardrum with a magnet. Drew Zerman says it's a "huge improvement."
(Scott Stewart/Sun-Times)

Now, a new device appears to deal with many of the shortcomings of traditional hearing aids.

Called Lyric, this new type of hearing aid is touted as the first that can be worn 24 hours a day, even while sleeping or showering. The tiny device fits deep inside the ear canal, where it can't be seen. And the battery can last up to four months.

"Patients are loving it," says Paul Pessis, a Highland Park audiologist.

The device isn't for everyone with hearing problems. Lyric is designed for adults with mild to moderately severe hearing loss. But half of all people who fit that description wouldn't be able to wear Lyric hearing aids because their ear canals aren't the right size or shape.

It's also more expensive than other hearing aids. Lyric users must pay an annual subscription fee that ranges from $1,500 to $2,200 per ear. By comparison, a typical high-end hearing aid might cost $3,000 per ear and last for four to five years, Pessis said.

Drew Zerman has been wearing Lyric hearing aids in both ears for about a month. The 23-year-old stand-up comedian from Bucktown has had problems with his hearing since he was 4. He started wearing a hearing aid full-time last year.

Zerman says his old hearing aid dramatically improved his ability to pick up most sounds but was a nuisance in other ways: He had to change the batteries every six days or so. And he couldn't use it when talking on the phone. He felt self-conscious about wearing it. And it interfered with his ability to interact with the crowds during his stand-up performances.

"A lot of times when I was on stage, somebody would yell something from the back, and I wouldn't pick that up. I'm doing a little better with that now," said Zerman.

Zerman says sound quality with the Lyric "isn't perfect" but is "maybe 30 or 40 percent better than my old hearing aid, and then all the other aspects -- lack of maintenance and the cosmetics -- are 100 percent better. So, overall, it's a huge improvement."