Cochlear implant milestone for Victoria

10 September 2010

Abby Paulet from Gippsland has become the recipient of the 2000th cochlear implant at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital.

Bionic ear pioneer Professor Graeme Clark joined patients to celebrate the historic milestone by releasing 99 balloons each with a unique patient story.

Abby was first diagnosed with a hearing impairment at 21 months. Her first implant took place in February 2009, with her second bionic ear implanted just three weeks ago.

The significant milestone coincides with the 25th anniversary of Cochlear Implant Clinic at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital.

In 1985, the Eye and Ear was the first public hospital in the world to establish a cochlear implant clinic with a team of surgeons, audiologists and speech pathologists. Since that time, well over 1,500 severe and profound hearing-impaired adults and children have received a cochlear implant through the clinic.

The clinic carries out about 230 implants each year ranging from six-month-old babies to 90-year-old war veterans.

The clinic at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital has a strong relationship with numerous multi-disciplinary groups throughout the country, including early intervention services, parent support groups, primary and secondary schools and is considered one of the most prestigious cochlear implant clinics in the world.

About one in six Australians is affected by hearing loss and 65 to 75 children are born with a significant hearing loss in both ears each year in Victoria.

The bionic ear was invented by Professor Graeme Clark who performed the first cochlear implant at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in 1978. Since then more than 150,000 people in over 120 countries have received a bionic ear.

A cochlear implant is an artificial hearing device, designed to produce useful hearing sensations by electrically stimulating nerves inside the inner ear.

For further information

To find out more about cochlear implants and the clinic, go to the Cochlear Implant Clinic website.