How Hearing Aids Can Help You
Hearing aids magnify sound vibrations entering the ear. Surviving hair cells detect the larger vibrations and convert them into neural signals that are passed along to the brain. The greater the damage to hair cells, the more severe the hearing loss, and the greater the hearing aid amplification needed to make up the difference.
However, there are practical limits to the amount of amplification a hearing aid can provide. In addition, if the inner ear is too damaged, even large vibrations will not be converted into neural signals. In this situation, hearing aids would be ineffective and alternatives such as cochlear implants would be recommended.