Question: could you restore hearing even from the deaf

anon answered on 16 Jun 2015:

Yes, currently the cochlear implants are used to give or restore hearing to the profoundly deaf. So a hearing loss of 90 dBs or greater. Profound deafness – if you stand next to a road drill and not hear it. But cochlear implant would only work if there is a nerve of hearing present.

http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2014-07-01/living-with-hearing-loss-one-mans-journey-back-to-the-world-of-sound/

The are a few case where the nerve is not present and we ended up inserting an auditory brainstem implant. It by pass the nerve and stimulates the auditory area of the brainstem directly.

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/joy_for_suffolk_three_year_old_who_can_hear_for_the_first_time_in_her_life_1_4077034