Dr. Milind Navalakhe at Global Hospitals shared details on the alarming rise in unilateral and bilateral hearing loss amongst the young adults in India. Hearing loss can be partial or complete and may occur in one ear or both ears.

Dr. Navalakhe says, “The rise in hearing loss amongst young adults stems from the rise in noise pollution, excessive use of headphones with electronic gadgets, exposure to loud noise in pubs and movie theatres, diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis (TB), trauma caused by accidents and chronic ear infections. Moreover, infections such as meningitis, and mumps also contribute to loss of hearing. Early detection and intervention are crucial to minimize hearing loss and to prevent further deterioration. I urge anyone experiencing difficulty in hearing to get themselves checked at the earliest. The awareness about the factors causing hearing loss will play a major role in prevention.”

The rising trend of hearing loss in adults aged between 40 to 55 is of great concern, as this directly affects productivity, causes work related difficulties, reduces the quality of life and often pushes people into loneliness and depression.

Dr. Navalakhe adds, “Most people are not aware of the fact that hearing loss can be prevented and treated in different ways. Medicines and hearing aids are an important part of the treatment. Our society easily accepts headphones attached to gadgets and fancy spectacles but frowns on hearing aids. Most of the hearing loss, especially in adults, which cannot be treated with medication and hearing aids, can be very effectively treated with a Cochlear implant. Advances in technology now make these implants work like an artificial ear to restore hearing. A Cochlear implant definitely makes a huge change in a person’s life by returning the quality of hearing to an unimpaired status.”

The doctor has shared some of his impressive cases of how successfully Cochlear implant surgeries have restored hearing in many patients.

About 20 years ago Peter Afatakpa, a resident of Nigeria and artist by profession, lost his hearing to meningitis at the age of 28. He spent a couple of years searching for a solution and came close to losing hope. Peter then read about Cochlear implants, following which he visited Global Hospitals, Mumbai, India, where he was guided to meet with Dr. Navalakhe by International Patient Services. The doctor performed a bilateral Cochlear implant surgery on Peter this month who is now happy and grateful to get his hearing back. He has returned to his country in just 3 weeks, with near normal hearing, and a smile on his face.

Says Peter Afatakpa, “When I lost my hearing it turned my life upside down. I was socially ostracized; had no job and no money for my family, was misunderstood by people and slowly became a recluse. Today I am extremely grateful to God and Dr. Milind Navalakhe and Manisha Suru (Audiologist) who gave me another chance at life by restoring my hearing and helping me lead a better quality of life.”

As Dr. Navalakhe informed us that awareness about Adult Cochlear Implantation surgery in India is very low, proved by with the fact that there have been just about 100+ adult unilateral Cochlear implant surgeries performed till date in the country. Simultaneous bilateral implant surgeries done in adults in India are just about 5 and Peter is the first adult Simultaneous Bilateral Cochlear Implant done in Mumbai. Dr. Navalakhe discussed a few other cases where hearing has been restored to near normal from a state of total deafness.

Faridabanoo Ansari, mother of a paediatrician at Dhule, who had lost her hearing gradually because of Meniers’ disease and its treatment, was operated on for Cochlear implantation at age 53. Now 2 years after the surgery she hears normally and is thankful to the technology and Dr. Navalakhe.

A Cochlear implant is surgically implanted in the inner ear and activated by a device worn outside the ear. Unlike a hearing aid, it doesn’t amplify or reduce disturbances in sound, instead the device bypasses the damaged part of the auditory system and directly stimulates the nerve of hearing, allowing individuals who are profoundly hearing impaired to receive sound.

There are no age restrictions for implanting this device. The hearing loss of an adult that happens after the development of language and communication skills is called ‘Post Lingual’ hearing loss. It is easier and highly beneficial for such individuals to get a Cochlear Implant. Adults should opt for bilateral implants over unilateral implants as time taken for the surgery is less, hospital and medication costs are less, recovery time is quicker and hearing and language/speech therapy development happens simultaneously.

Global Hospitals Group, India’s most renowned healthcare services provider offering better care, cutting-edge research and advanced education to caregivers, is one of the country’s fast growing chains of multi super specialty tertiary care hospitals offering healthcare services of international standards. A 2000-bed multi super specialty tertiary care facility spread across Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore and, Global Hospitals is a pioneer in multi-organ transplants including kidneys, liver, heart, lung and bone marrow.