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A life-changing surgery for 9-year-old with hearing loss

Dubai - Born with a hearing loss, Amina (name changed) could only understand sign language and lip read.

A nine-year-old girl was all smiles when she heard her mother's voice for the first time.
Born with a hearing loss, Amina (name changed) could only understand sign language and lip read. She did not have good speech until a cochlear implant changed her life. "It's been a month since we did the cochlear implant," said Dr Ahmad Munzer Alwaa, consultant ENT, head and neck surgeon at the University Hospital Sharjah (UHS), where the surgery took place.
To check the reaction and see if the implant worked, the doctors covered their mouths so that Amina could not lip read. "We set the signal at low and then slowly saw her reaction when she responded to sound," he told Khaleej Times.
The delicate surgery was performed a month ago - a cochlear implant was placed on the bone behind the ear. The electrodes/electrical impulses in the implant stimulate the nerve to the brain and transmit sound to the brain. However, the sound may not be the same as a normal person would hear.
"An implant is most beneficial if done as early on as possible - ages between one to two years are the best because this is when children are learning the language and an implant can aid hearing and development," he explained.
He also said that most of the times, an implant in one ear was enough since it was an expensive option. In the case of Amina, the free cochlear was sponsored by the Sharjah TV during the World Hearing Day for three children at UHS.
Newborn hearing screenings are one of the successfully implemented programmes in UHS, in which all the newborn babies are screened for their hearing status.
Through this process, children with hearing impairment are identified and chosen for free cochlear implants. "UHS introduced these children who lived in silence to a world of hearing and sound," said Dr Muhammed Ayas, senior audiologist. Cochlear implantation is a recognised and accepted medical procedure for the treatment of severe to profound sensor neural hearing loss (SNHL) in both children and adults.
"Damage to the inner ear is often irreversible. So it is important to identify early for early rehabilitation and to raise awareness on the rising prevalence of hearing loss in all age groups," said Dr Ayas. 
Five implants have been done at the hospital and including an adult.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com