Cochlear, the world's leader in advanced hearing technologies, announced a landmark milestone when Dr. Thomas Roland, Jr., MD of NYU Langone Medical Center recently performed the 120,000th cochlear implant device procedure.

Cochlear implants have the ability to restore hearing for individuals who are severely hard of hearing and for whom hearing aids don't help much, and those who are profoundly deaf. A cochlear implant is a device, which bypasses damaged hair cells in the inner ear, or cochlea, that stimulates the hearing nerve directly, effectively restoring hearing to individuals. These devices are a proven medical option for adults and children as young as twelve months old.

"Cochlear implants are the most effective treatment for people with severe to profound hearing loss and are becoming the standard of care globally," said Dr. Roland. "In fact, it is becoming common practice for people to now receive a device in both ears, as the clinical evidence clearly demonstrates the benefit. At NYU, we do more than five implants per week and this continues to grow each year." The NYU team of audiologists currently manage about 1,800 recipients.

"Cochlear implants are the only medical device designed to restore one of the five human senses. With this technology, people with severe to profound hearing loss no longer have to live in a world of silence," said Chris Smith, President Cochlear Americas. An estimated one million people in the United States could benefit from this technology, yet less than 10 percent of those who qualify actually have a cochlear implant.

Since the first commercial implant in 1982, cochlear implants have become the standard of care for people who have severe to profound hearing loss. Approximately 400 institutions in the United States now provide this advanced technology. This technology is covered by the majority of private carriers as well as by Medicare and Medicaid for appropriate candidates.

About Dr. Thomas Roland

J. Thomas Roland, Jr., MD is Associate Professor of Otolaryngology and Neurosurgery at New York University School of Medicine. He is the Director of Otology and Neurotology and Co-Director of the NYU Cochlear Implant Center. Dr. Roland is actively involved in cochlear implant research, has lectured nationally and internationally on many topics related to cochlear implantation and has an active cochlear implant practice in New York. He acts in an advisory capacity to two cochlear implant manufacturers.

About Cochlear

The cochlear implant is recognized as a standard treatment for profound deafness by the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.(1) Since launching the world's first cochlear implant system more than 25 years ago, Cochlear's state-of-the-art technologies, based on extensive research and development at preeminent academic institutions, restore the ability to hear sound and understand speech-enhancing both learning capabilities and quality of life for those with moderate to profound hearing loss.

Cochlear's promise "Hear now. And always" reflects their philosophy of a lifetime commitment to those individuals who choose their products. For more information about Cochlear's products, visit the website at http://www.cochlear.com.

More Voices