A cochlear implant is an electronic device which may be suitable for persons who receive no useful benefit from appropriately fit hearing aids. Hearing aids work by making sounds louder. A cochlear implant is different because sounds are turned into tiny electrical pulses, which are sent directly to the nerve of hearing. The implant can therefore bypass some of the inner ear structures which are not working. Naturally it is important to remember that no electronic device can be expected to restore function to the levels experienced by a normally hearing ear.