Tinnitus FAQs

• Tinnitus refers to any sound heard in the head or ears for which there is no corresponding outside sound.
• Most tinnitus is reported as sounding like ringing, whistling, humming, cicadas, buzzing, static or the ocean.
• In most cases, tinnitus is reported as sounding like it is in both ears and the main cause is noise exposure.
• Tinnitus can cause anxiety and sleep disturbance however the good news is tinnitus can be treated and relieved.

Medical management consists of making a diagnosis as to the cause and providing an explanation to the patient. It involves taking a history of noise exposure, previous ear problems, head trauma, illness and drugs used in the past.
An examination of the head, neck and ears and an accurate audiogram is also conducted.
If an unexplainable asymmetrical hearing loss is found, a Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan to exclude an acoustic neuroma may be required.

A tinnitus assessment will take 90 minutes, your clinician will start by asking you questions about your medical and hearing history, which is commonly known as case history. Sample questions are as follows:

For how long and what have you noticed difficulty with your hearing?
Have you experienced hearing difficulty gradually or suddenly?
Do you have a history of ear infections/ surgeries?
Do you hear ringing, buzzing or humming in your ears?
Is there a family history of hearing loss
Next, your clinician will conduct a test or series of test to assess, such as:

Loudness tinnitus pitch
Loudness and sound tolerance test
Finally, the clinician will discuss your assessment results with you and also help you to understand why tinnitus became a problem and how it can be treated. If your clinician detects any sign of an underlying medical condition, they will prepare a hearing test report explaining the results to your GP for further clinical assessments.

Tinnitus can be treated with a neurophysiological mode, called Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT). This involves:

An extensive audiological evaluation
Counselling sessions
The use of external sound
The use of sound devices may also be employed

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) is a process of retraining the subconscious parts of the brain to ignore the sound of tinnitus. The ultimate goal of retraining therapy is to achieve a state in which you are not aware of your tinnitus.

If you have hearing loss, there is a good chance that a pair of hearing aids will benefit your tinnitus and help you hear again. Request an appointment to get a check-up to determine if you will be benefit from using hearing aids.