Improvement in self-perceived hearing and quality of life is associated with the time elapsed since cochlear implantation in adults with post-lingual hearing loss

The study aimed to investigate the otology-specific and general health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after cochlear implantation, and scrutinize the variables associated with them.

The Ear Outcome Survey-16 (EOS-16), which assesses ear-specific symptoms and quality of life (QoL), was administered before and after cochlear implantation along with the post-operative administration of the 15D questionnaire that evaluates general HRQoL. The authors investigated post-implantation changes in the EOS-16 total scores and its category responses, examining their relationship with pre- and post-operative hearing levels, speech perception in noise, and the follow-up period length (time elapsed since cochlear implantation).

There were positive changes noted for the hearing, need for care, and QoL categories of the EOS-16 after implantation. The length of the follow-up period was a significant factor associated with improvements in subjective outcome measures. Changes in self-perceived hearing and HRQoL post-implantation seem independent of pre- and post-implantation hearing performance.

These results suggest that while patients regain their hearing abilities shortly after implant activation, their subjective hearing-related benefits and QoL improve over time.