TINNITUS

WHAT IS TINNITUS?

Tinnitus is mostly described by people as a ringing or buzzing sensation in their ears. Some people also explain the sensation of tinnitus as an insect beating it’s wings in your ear, hissing, clicking, humming or roaring.

Tinnitus is said to be an accompanying symptom of a disorder and not a cause on its own.

This perception can vary from low to high pitch and you may hear it in either one ear or both. This sound does not bother most people and they are aware of it but in some cases it can be so severe that it can interfere with daily living.

There are 2 types of tinnitus:

  1. Subjective tinnitus is the most common type of tinnitus which is heard only by you and not others.It can be caused by damage either in the outer, middle, inner ear or the hearing nerve.

  2. Objective tinnitus is a rare type where the sound can be heard by your examiner. It is either caused by ear anomalies or blood vessel problems.

WHAT CAUSES TINNITUS?

Some causes are:

  1. Presbycusis or age related hearing loss
  2. Ear problems such as meniere’s disease, eustachian tube dysfunction, injury or trauma to the head or neck, acoustic neuroma and muscle spasms in the inner ear are lesser common causes.
  3. Certain drugs and herbal supplements may cause tinnitus in some people. Ingestion of caffeine or nicotine are also said to cause tinnitus.
  4. Excessive impacted earwax which irritates the eardrum and causes hearing loss may cause tinnitus.
  5. Exposure to extremely loud sounds at work or listening to very loud music about normal limits.
  6. Another form of tinnitus is called pulsatile tinnitus caused by disorder of blood vessels such as high blood pressure, head and neck tumors etc.

People who suffer from tinnitus can experience a lot of psychological problems such as stress and anxiety along with fatigue, depression and memory problems.

If you experience any of the above please contact us and book an appointment

Assessment

Thorough case history with detailed hearing tests (link to Hearing tests) will be done by our audiologist.

Treatment for tinnitus

  1. Treatment of the underlying conditions which cause tinnitus such as those mentioned above can be done.
  2. Using white noise or tinnitus maskers to suppress tinnitus using devices such as hearing aids and white noise machines. Our audiologist may also suggest some apps on your device which can help. Tinnitus retraining may also be suggested where a device which suppresses tinnitus is prescribed along with specific counselling sessions.
  3. Some medications may be prescribed to you by your doctor only if needed.
  4. Lifestyle changes which help manage stress and reduce triggers may be suggested.
  5. Vitamin supplements
  6. Support and counselling to cope with tinnitus by providing strategies that will help you manage daily activities and work.
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