Watch emotional reaction of deaf woman hearing for the first time

Joanne Milne's life is just one of many that's been revolutionized with the use of cochlear hearing implants.

The 40-year-old British woman was recently captured on video hearing for the first time with bilateral cochlear implants. It was an experience so emotionally moving that she burst into happy tears and has had a difficult time closing the floodgates since.

"The switch-on was the most emotional and overwhelming experience of my life and I'm still in shock now. I have to learn to recognise what these sounds are as I build a sound library in my brain," Milne tells The Journal.

"Hearing things for the first time is so emotional -- from the ping of a light switch to running water. I can't stop crying and I can already foresee how it's going to be life-changing."

Also see: Self magazine under fire for mocking cancer survivor

Being born hearing-impaired was once considered a lifelong disability. Today the technology of cochlear hearing implants gives new hope to the deaf, giving them the opportunity to live lives filled with sound.

For deaf adults who have never experienced sound their entire lives, when they are fitted with cochlear hearing implants, the experience of flicking the "on" switch can be overwhelming.

Milne, who was born deaf due to Ushers syndrome, is now officially blind after starting to lose her sight in her late 20s.

"Being deaf was just who I was. Unfortunately when I became registered blind things changed dramatically and for the first time being deaf became increasingly difficult," she explains.

Also see: Alarming facts about sleep deprivation

Milne's story has touched many British hearts after she was referenced in a tweet by BBC Music. The radio station aired a music playlist that Milne's friend made for her, which included a song for every year of her life.

Cochlear hearing implants can provide a relatively normal representation of sound to deaf individuals. The internal part of the implant is surgically fitted under the skin and the external part sits behind the ear.

What makes cochlear implants different from other hearing aids is that they bypass damaged portions of the inner ear or cochlea and stimulate the auditory or hearing nerve directly. The implant sends signals along the auditory nerve to the brain, which recognizes the signals as sound.