Q: This morning I experienced some ringing in my ears and it was definitely more difficult to hear. I clean my ears about twice a week so I know that it is not due to wax getting built up. My sinuses are fine too. It’s just that my hearing is really affected.

I made an appointment with Kaiser to get my hearing tested and after being examined the doctor said I had over 85% hearing loss. He said it could have been a number of things: past infection, age, etc. He had recommended a device called a cochlear implant. I’m not familiar with hearing aids. Is it any good?

A: First, I’m sorry to hear about your hearing loss. The good news is there are a number of different options available. Someone with hearing loss like you are describing would likely benefit from a hearing aid or a sound generator ( the cochlear implant is a sound generator ).

To avoid confusion, a cochlear implant is like the name implies – a device surgically implanted under your skin. It picks up sounds and then converts them to electronic impulses. Then impulses are then relayed to your auditory nerve in your brain. Some people can ‘learn’ to hear better with the device is a fairly short amount of time. A device like the cochlear implant can work for deaf people very well.

Aside from the cochlear implant, a lot of people first try a hearing aid since it does not typically involve surgery. A hearing aid amplifies the sound and the sound is transmitted into the ear as normal. There are a large number of hearing aids available so make sure to ask your ENT for a couple of trials to see which works best for you if you are interested in going that route.

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