The Scale of Silence

Hearing loss is not a mere inconvenience, It is a major chronic health problem.
It has far reaching consequences for individuals, families, communities, the Australian and global economies at large.

• 4 million Australians, or 1 in 5 people affected by significant hearing loss
• 560 million sufferers worldwide, termed a global epidemic by the WHO
• 1 in 6 Baby Boomers currently suffers significant hearing loss
• 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 suffers significant hearing loss
• 1.5 million Australians suffer from severe Tinnitus
• 400,000 Western Australians with hearing and balance disorders

What cost hearing loss?

"In Australia in 2005, the financial cost was $11.75 billion or 1.4 per cent of GDP."*

The largest cost to Australia is the productivity loss, which accounts for $6.7 billion of this figure. We cannot afford to ignore this pressing problem any longer.

"Hearing loss is the second most prevalent health condition in Australia."

It's an unseen disability with associated effects that reach way beyond figures and statistics:

• An Australian Parliamentary Report estimates 17% of Australians have difficulty hearing in a group.
• Chronic childhood ear infections can cause irreparable damage to the eardrum, leading to problems for children at school, home and in the community.
• Vestibular disorders have a range of negative and disturbing effects on the balance system, causing dizziness, vertigo, imbalance, nausea and fatigue for thousands of people.
• Severe Tinnitus (a permanent ringing in the ears) has a devastating effect on the quality of life of sufferers.
  *Study: Listen Hear! The Economic Impact and Cost of Hearing Loss in Australia, 2005.

Vision and Innovation

The Ear Science Institute Australia (ESIA) has the vision to bring hope and relief to those who suffer ear, hearing and balance disorders.

The work of its world-leading specialist research and clinical teams is already yielding groundbreaking medical advancements that are enhancing and improving lives.

"The challenge - bring the team together"

• As it has grown, the Institute has become a physically fragmented organisation.
• Researchers, support staff and clinicians are split up and spread around Perth in a number of crowded rooms and facilities with inadequate space.
• This separation threatens to dilute and undermine the potential for collaborative breakthroughs in their work.
• It lessens the chances of attracting leading international researchers to work on cutting edge projects.
• For ESIA's research to have real meaning in the future, a single site, dedicated research building and central clinic is the most effective solution.

A dedicated facility

The establishment of a new research facility is key to ESIA's ability to forge ahead. This is needed as a matter of urgency. A site has been acquired in Subiaco, and this major fundraising project is seeking to raise the capital for a dedicated building. It will bring under one roof the skills and expertise of a team of leading specialists, surgeons, researchers, clinicians, technologists and students.

Potential and possibility

ESIA research has the potential to make an enormous and life-changing impact on the pressing global issue of ear disorders and associated hearing loss. Their key inner ear hair cell project may find the breakthrough medical solution that the world is waiting for.