Call it a sign of the times. All the gadgets we carry to talk on cell phones or listen to music are aging our ears.
A new device could help you keep your hearing.
A clinical trial is testing a combined cochlear implant-hearing aid.
One part is implanted in the head during a day surgery while the hearing aid is worn behind the ear.
Dr. Peter Roland says it allows people to use what is left of their hearing and then supplements it without letting background noises get in the way.
"The hearing aid is boosting your natural hearing. The cochlear implant is adding the extra information in the high frequencies by means of electrical stimulation," explains Dr. Roland.
Dr. Roland says so far he is seeing an 85 to 90 percent success rate.