What Our First Users Think About the Invisible Cochlear Implant

But how do users like their new hearing implant? In this blog post, some of the first recipients share their experiences with us. Here’s what Thomas, Jenny, Harald, and Sofie think about TICI, what they like best about their invisible cochlear implant, and how their lives changed once they got it.

“It Makes Life a Lot Easier for Me”—Thomas, Austria

One of the biggest advantages of TICI for Thomas is not having to worry about an external device: “I can go into the shower with it. I can run when it’s raining. I don’t have to worry about forgetting something in my ear—that makes life a lot easier for me.” Thomas got used to living with TICI quickly. “His progress was quite fast. He started already getting used to it in the first couple of weeks,” his wife Milena remarks.

Before he got implanted, Thomas had struggled with following conversations in background noise or during work meetings. Now he feels more confident, less stressed, and more connected to the people around him. “I have the ability to live, more or less, a normal life,” he says.

“I Don’t Want to Imagine Life Without TICI Anymore”—Jenny, Germany

With TICI, Jenny feels independent and more connected in her everyday life: “I don’t even want to imagine life without TICI anymore, because it’s given me so much independence.” Whereas before Jenny would feel disconnected from the people around her and struggle with her day-to-day and professional tasks, everything’s easier now that she has TICI.

Jenny loves the round-the-clock access to sound: “I can hear my daughter at night now. I can leave TICI on all night long—it’s reliable. If she needs something and cries, I hear her straight away and can respond,” she says. Jenny also appreciates that with TICI’s discreet and invisible design, it’s up to her whether or not others get to know about her hearing loss.

“I Don’t Have to Worry About the Processor”—Harald, Austria

Harald first got curious about TICI when he heard that it was fully implanted. With no external audio processor to worry about, he can do sports or go swimming with his son and still hear. “Before I had TICI doing sports was tricky, because too much movement often caused my device to fall off, and I don’t have that with TICI anymore,” Harald says.

TICI’s sound quality—similar to that of classic CIs—especially impressed Harald: “In the beginning, I was very skeptical about whether or not TICI would have the same audio quality as a regular CI. But now I can say that there’s no difference.” Harald can hear every sound his son makes, even when they’re splashing around in the pool. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that without TICI,” he says.

“It’s Become a Constant Companion in My Daily Life”—Sofie, Germany

“I decided to go with TICI because I simply wanted to have the kind of freedom that TICI promised,” says Sofie. She likes that, with TICI, she doesn’t have to think about her hearing and can just go about her day: “I only have to turn it on once in the morning and turn it off once in the evening, and it works the entire day without me having to worry about it at all,” Sofie explains.

“TICI changed our lives because everything’s easier for Sofie now,” her husband shares. Next to the newfound ease in her daily life, Sofie also feels more connected to the people around her ever since she got TICI: “My relationship with my family has improved because I can understand them better now.”