Australian doctors have implanted a bionic eye into a blind patient, in what is being hailed a major step forward.

Doctors from Bionic Vision Australia implanted a 24-electrode device into patient Dianne Ashworth.

She has retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited cause of blindness.

Ms Ashworth says once the electrodes were switched on, she saw flashes of light.

"I didn’t know what to expect but all of a sudden I could see a little flash, it was amazing," she said.

"Every time there was stimulation, there was a different shape that appeared in front of my eye."

Bionic Vision Australia chairman Professor David Penington says the results fulfilled their expectations.

"It gives us confidence that with further development, we can achieve useful vision," he said.

Three Melbourne patients will receive implants.

Two other patients have had the surgery and will soon have their devices switched on.

Dr Penny Allen led the team of surgeons at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital.

"This is a world first. We implanted the device in a position behind the retina, demonstrating the viability of our approach," she said.

The team will work with Ms Ashworth to determine what she can see when the electrodes are stimulated.

Many medical teams around the world are working on bionic eye technology and some have implanted devices behind the retina.

But Bionic Vision Australia says the way this device was implanted, and the way the surgery was performed, make it a world first.

This device was a collaboration between Bionic Vision Australia, the Bionics Institute and the Centre for Eye Research Australia.

Director of Bionic Vision Australia Professor Anthony Burkitt says funding from the Federal Government was critical in the development of the device.