Nautilus Hearing, in Spanish Fort, is the local provider of cochlear implants—a replacement to mimic the function of a healthy inner ear. “Implants can be life changing for patients,” says owner Dr. Emily Domingue, Au.D., CCC-A. “It is such a wonderful experience to help and observe a patient gain hearing and clarity that they typically have not had access to in years.”

Implants can provide the clarity of speech that a hearing aid no longer achieves. Patients are provided with many accessories like a waterproof case, TV streamer or mini microphone and cochlear implants are also compatible with certain hearing aids, giving patients binaural input such as the streaming of phone calls.

To be a candidate for cochlear implants, patients must have moderate to profound hearing loss with low word recognition and little benefit from hearing aids, meaning clarity is nonexistent regardless of how loud the aid’s volume is turned up. Patients are easily evaluated and identified with Nautilus Hearing’s candidacy testing before being referred to an ENT for the surgery. They then return to Nautilus for activation and programming of the implant. Most insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid typically help cover cochlear implants for patients meeting specific criteria.

For more information, call 251-250-7343 or visit NautilusHeartingSpanishFort.com.