EwingFriday 25 February marks International Cochlear Implant Day (ICID), a global campaign to raise awareness of cochlear implants.
A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device designed to produce hearing sensations in a person who has severe to profound hearing loss. Fitted in an operation, the cochlear implant works by stimulating nerves within the person’s inner ear. ICID is celebrated every 25 February, the anniversary of the first cochlear implantation, performed by French doctors Charles Eyries and André Djourno in 1957. It is estimated that there are now 700,000 people around the world who have a cochlear implant.