Of course, I know some hearing damage is temporary, but it seems like a lot of visual issues can be corrected with Lasik, while a lot of hearing issues are permanent and can’t be corrected without equipment like hearing aids.
In: Biology
LASIK can only fix a very specific issue with your eyesight, the shape of your eye lens. LASIK can re-carve the lens to be a correct shape.
But if you have damage to the actual optical NERVE, in the back of your eye, there is nothing we can really do to fix that. We can try and reattach the nerves, but it’s up to our bodies to try and heal/figure out.
Same thing for your ears. Hearing damage is nerve damage, not just like a broken eardrum or something. The nerves themselves are not working correctly.
The damage in most cases is to hair cells in the cochlea in the inner ear. These are sensory cells that detect vibrations, sound.
These cells don’t grow back after they are destroyed.
It is possible to bypass them using a cochlear implant, which stimulates the cochlear nerve electrically, making it possible to recreate hearing. It’s not always possible, and depending on where you live it can be quite expensive. The hardware alone is about USD 15000, and you need rather advanced surgery and a lot of specialised rehabilitation to really benefit from it.
I’m a medical doctor working with hearing and balance disorders, so I work with hearing loss on a daily basis. Here in Sweden, when I decide that a person qualifies for a cochlear implant, the total cost for them is less than $100, and it’s free for those under 19 years of age.
There are other types of hearing loss, some related to the nerve, some to the middle ear, ear drum and the tiny bones between it and the cochlea.
Latest Answers