A cochlear implant improves hearing for people with severe or profound hearing loss on one or both ears. But a cochlear implant also helps to reduce tinnitus and depression, studies find.

Reduce tinnitus and depression

A study aimed to determine the effect of cochlear implants and to compare the severity of tinnitus and depression in adult cochlear implant users with tinnitus.  The study included 23 adult cochlear implant users who reported both tinnitus and depression before the cochlear implant surgery.

The study found that there was a statistically significant decrease in the severity of tinnitus and depression after the cochlear implantation. The participants’ tinnitus level and grade decreased, as well as their depression levels compared to before cochlear implantation.

Single sided deafness and tinnitus

A cochlear implant also seems to help to reduce tinnitus among people with both single-sided deafness (SSD) and tinnitus.

A study examined 17 earlier studies on single-sided deafness, cochlear implantation and tinnitus, including a total of 247 patients with SSD receiving a cochlear implant. The aim of the study was to identify the benefits of a cochlear implantation on tinnitus relief among individuals with single-sided deafness (SSD). The study found that most patients with SSD experienced partial improvement or complete resolution of their tinnitus with a cochlear implant.

The studies

The study “Effects of Cochlear Implantation on Tinnitus and Depression” was published in the Journal for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.

The study “Cochlear Implantation for Treatment of Tinnitus in Single-sided Deafness: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis” was published in the journal Otology & Neurotology.

Sources: pmlegacy.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, Journal for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Otology & Neurotology