Candidacy Criteria

Review the information below to determine if you or your child may be able to benefit from a Nucleus Freedom cochlear implant*.  If you would like to receive a canididate information package, please fill out this form.

Young children: 12 months to 2 years

• Profound sensorineural hearing loss (nerve deafness) in both ears
• Lack of progress in development of auditory skill with hearing aid or other amplification
• High motivation and realistic expectations from family
• Other medical conditions, if present, do not interfere with cochlear implant procedure

Children:  2 to 17 years

• Severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss (nerve deafness) in both ears
• Receive little or no benefit from hearing aids
• Lack of progress in the development of auditory skills
• High motivation and realistic expectations from family

Adults: 18 years and over

• Severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears
• Receive little or no useful benefit from hearing aids
• Qualified candidates are those scoring, with a hearing aid, 50 percent or less on sentence recognition tests in the ear to be implanted and 60 percent or less in the non-implanted ear or bilaterally.

*See your health care professional for more information about benefits and risks of cochlear implants.