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Sensorineural hearing loss is a condition in which a person’s cochlea (the hearing organ in the ear) or the nerve pathways for hearing are damaged. Depending on the amount of damage that cannot be repaired, hearing loss can range from mild to profound.

A cochlear implant is an electronic device that acts in place of the inner ear to help communicate sound to the brain and improve the hearing of people with sensorineural hearing loss.

Ontario Health looked at the potential benefits and harms of people having cochlear implants in both ears (bilateral cochlear implantation) as opposed to just one, whether this is good value for money, and the budget impact of publicly funding bilateral cochlear implantation. We also talked with people with sensorineural hearing loss about their values, preferences, and experiences with cochlear implants.