A former Royal Marine has become the first UK veteran to benefit from an iPod-based treatment for debilitating tinnitus.

Harris Tatakis developed the severe ringing in his ear after his WMIK Land Rover drove over an IED in Afghanistan in April 2007.

The blast not only ruptured his eardrums but also caused brain damage, shattered his left leg, broke his right foot and left him paralysed for two days.

After 10 years of suffering and having to learn how to lip read, Tatakis stumbled across Levo through a Google Alert he had set up in efforts to relieve the condition.

Levo delivers treatment through an iPod while a person is sleeping. A personalised sound stimulates the hearing part of the brain, teaching the brain to ignore the hissing or buzzing associated with tinnitus.