Advances in the field of cochlear implants

Amy Richter and her sister are twins, and they both were born with bilateral profound hearing loss.

At two years old, doctors fit the sisters with powerful hearing aids that enabled them to utilize their residual hearing. And by the time they were in junior high, the girls were mainstreamed into a general education setting, reports Fox News.

 "We had our regular teenage experiences, but with the added factor of the challenges of not being able to hear everything," Richter, now 40, of Los Angeles, Calif., said.

It wasn't until after getting married and having children that Richter started noticing even more hearing loss.

"I had to make a decision and go for something,” she said. “That was going to be a cochlear implant; I had nothing else to lose at that point."

With a cochlear implant, sound travels through a microphone to a mini-computer called a processor. The sound is converted into digital information, which is sent to a surgically implanted magnet in the bone behind the ear. The implant turns the information into electrical signals that travel to the inner ear, stimulating the auditory nerve, allowing patients to hear.

"Early on, they started as experimental devices and the person who had the implant was tied by a cord to a computer or a programming device,” said Dr. Allison Grimes, the director of audiology at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.  

Now, current models have Bluetooth capacity, remote controls and can even sync with smartphones and iPods.

Since her surgery in 2007, Richter has kept up with the latest in cochlear implant technology.

Her most recent model has a waterproof processor – the first of its kind –  and can be worn while swimming, bathing and exercising. She said it’s perfect for days at the water park with her family.

Richter said she shares her story to give others information and hope.