This was a milestone for Professor Graeme Clark and his team of researchers at The University of Melbourne and The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Eye and Ear). The prototype multi-channel cochlear implant produced hearing sensations by stimulating nerves inside the inner ear with electrical pulses. Whilst sound reproduction with the prototype implant was basic, the first patient was happy to hear again after two years of total silence.
Since the early 1980s, thousands of adults and children with a hearing impairment have been treated through the Cochlear Implant Clinic at the Eye and Ear. The experience gained during this time has helped us to develop techniques and protocols for assessing and advising people with a significant hearing loss. With an ongoing commitment to clinical research and continuous improvement, our cochlear implant clinic has always been considered one of the most prestigious in the world and is continuously expanding.
In 2025, the Eye and Ear celebrated several cochlear implant milestones including:
- 40 Years of the worlds first public Cochlear Implant Clinic opened
- Professor Graeme Clarks 90th Birthday
- 40 years since the first child in the world was implanted with a cochlear device designed for children
- The 5000th Victorian Cochlear Implant Program patient to receive a cochlear implant
