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Phonak Sphere UP vs CI

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Weill I’m for both but the numbers tell you far more people who struggle with hearing loss prefer a power over a last resort . Any day of the week.

It is time for a Phonak Sphere Up to see the light of day, but before that happens Phonak will have to address serious battery drain. Your not going to fit two 675 batteries in a Sphere Up so not sure how such an aid can function with battery life being used (drained) repaidly when Sphere is in “background noise canceling mode”? Heck even the basic Phonak Audeo Sphere drains battery life quickly when aid program is set for noisse cancellation. And your not going to find many HA users in the severe to profound ground that want to charge there HA every 24 hours or so. Not going to happen.

Regarding CI, its the only option left right now for those who have lose the majority of their hearing. Why CI’s have not been replaced with some new and smaller puzzels me since you would think 50 years plus, (since CI’s went live) they would be yesterday’s news and seriously upgraded by now. There are only three manufactuers of CI’s so that tells you slim pickens. Also the numbers show that there are millions of American with severe to profound hearing loss, but only a small portions ever made a decision to get a CI. For what ever reason. Until the numbers jump (CI increase) I think we’re stuck in no-mans land as far CI advancements.

I just googled CI in U.S. and came up with this. In the United States, roughly 118,100 adults and 65,000 children have been implanted, according to [NIDCD]. I’m guess the number count started back in the 1970’s. so to be honest that combination of less than 200,000 CI over fifty years tells you people are not lining up for such surgery. Cost might have something to do with it, along with no guarentee of the end result. Getting a CI is a journey and I belive in most cases a ‘positive one’ but obviiously the majority of folks experiencing major hearing loss and deafness are not banging on hospital doors asking for a CI. Far from it.

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@OKCharlie said:

but the numbers tell you far more people who struggle with hearing loss prefer a power HA over a last resort CI. Any day of the week.

Which numbers??

Or do you just mean that people would prefer to avoid surgery if they could avoid it? Cuz that’s non controversial.

All I’m saying is that there are many people who flat out qualify for a , that chose not to get one. If you take 118,100 adults in U.S. who have gone the CI route that breaks down to 2,360 a year. Say over a 50 year span. That’s a really low number when compared to how many people wear Power Up Aids. It also tells me that the numbers really haven’t changed much over the years, and in fact could be dropping as far as CI surgery. Though I have to admit I don’t belive there is anything new around the corner to replace CI. Except possibly better powered hearing aids, but it A.I., canal implant or eventually buillt into glasses. Change is coming and I now wonder come 2030 if Choclear Implants might be totally repplaced by sometthing else.

Yes, is expensive and scary and difficult. But past a certain point with hearing loss CI outcomes are absolutely better. Implantation is increasing in my area, not dropping. Will it be replaced in the future? Maybe, sure. Not soon.

Edited

This is probably a full list of causes of relatively small numbers of people receiving cochlear implants. As you can see, personal beliefs and experiences are only one of the reasons:

Screenshot_20250620_144138_Google

Many healthcare providers are only aware of the old eligibility criteria; they are not familiar with the 60/60 criterion as an indication for a more thorough hearing assessment (cochlear evaluation).

The UP hearing aids are not on the same playing field as . Two totally different things for two totally different reasons.

Understanding that when a person’s hearing is not helped enough by hearing aids to function as normal is key.

For most CI candidates that do not move forward with CI it’s for financial reasons, medical reasons, location, lack of knowledge or understanding or fear factor. I know for me it was a financial issue. I had to wait until I was USA Medicare age to get that financial support. Other people have one or more reasons not to go the CI route and that is their personal business.

In most (but not all) cases now, if someone needs a naida UP, they’re probably better off with a .

I’m glad that Toronto is implanting unilateral sudden losses now. I had always figured that if I experienced a sudden loss I’d remortgage my house, travel to Cincinatti, and pay out of pocket for a CI. Nice to know i wouldn’t have to.

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