The word “Cochlear” is synonymous with hearing technology across the globe, but did you know Cochlear implants are an Australian breakthrough!?

Based in Sydney, Cochlear was formed in 1981 with finance from the Australian government to commercialise the implants pioneered by Dr. Graeme Clark.

Today, the company holds more than two-thirds of the worldwide hearing implant market, with more than 600,000 implantable devices provided since 1982, helping people of all ages to lead full and active lives.

We’ve all seen the videos – the poignant moment a baby or young child gets to hear Mum and Dad’s voices for the first time when their Cochlear implant is switched on – it’s heartwarming and beautiful to watch as it dawns on the youngster they can hear.

But why don’t hearing aids suffice? Why is it necessary to go down the surgery route and implant devices?

Hearing aids mostly make sounds louder. Cochlear implants are different; they bypass the damaged part of the ear and stimulate the hearing nerve directly.

Implants are suitable for people who have severe or profound hearing loss, have hearing (auditory) nerves that work, and can’t overcome their hearing loss with hearing aids.

Unlike hearing aids, which mostly make sounds louder, cochlear implants may further improve the clarity of sound and enhance your ability to understand conversations.

Cochlear implants replace the function of damaged sensory hair cells inside the inner ear.

A cochlear implant system has two parts:

• The external sound processor
• Surgeons put the implant under the skin and attach it to an electrode array that’s placed in the inner ear.

Together, the sound processor and implant bypass the part of the ear that isn’t working, sending sound straight to the hearing nerve.

The implant enhances the clarity of sounds and improves a person’s ability to understand speech. It can also help them regain confidence in social situations, rejoin friends and family, and live a fuller life.

In a recent study, people with Cochlear implants could understand sentences eight times better than they could previously with their hearing aids.

The company’s ground-breaking technology continues to evolve. Cochlear has a global workforce of more than 4000 people and invests more than $180 million a year in research and development.

In February 2021, Cochlear announced it was partnering with leading hearing health experts to conduct the largest ever, multi-center, randomised controlled trial (RCT) of an investigational cochlear implant that releases a glucocorticoid (anti-inflammatory) drug therapy directly to the cochlea.

The study is the first ever pivotal RCT to investigate the safety and effectiveness of a cochlear implant with a drug eluting electrode compared to a conventional cochlear implant.

Investigators will measure if the device can reduce electrical impedance, which may be an indicator of the device minimising changes in the intra-cochlear environment, such as a reduction of fibrosis.

Research suggests this may lead to better long-term preservation of the structure and function of the cochlea.

Did you know that:

• 93% of cochlear implant recipients improved speech understanding compared to when they used to wear hearing aids.
• 83% of recipients reported a statistically significant improvement in quality of life after receiving a cochlear implant.

Many factors contribute to improved hearing performance. Research and decades of experience have demonstrated that cochlear implants can lead to improved:

• Clarity, restoring access to missing sounds
• Hearing in noise and speech understanding
• Quality of life

Cochlear implants are covered by many private health insurers, are funded by state governments for eligible patients and involve a routine surgical procedure.

Cochlear implants are changing lives every day across the world. Find out more about this amazing technology and company at https://www.cochlear.com/au/en/about-us.