Durham Hearing Specialists

Tinnitus can be extremely frustrating, and if allowed to proliferate it can overwhelm our sense of wellbeing and ability to live life to the fullest. Often people are told nothing can be done, however there are therapies available which can lessen tinnitus perception over time.

 

 

What is tinnitus?

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Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of sound in the environment, and can be perceived as ringing, whooshing, buzzing, hissing or other sounds unique to the individual heard only by them. Although various theories have been suggested, the exact cause of tinnitus is not fully understood. For a detailed look at tinnitus, read our in-depth article HERE.

 

Initial assessment (£60)

 

The first step is an initial assessment (1 hour appointment), where our Audiologists examine both of your ears, perform a hearing test and tinnitus pitch match. We also carry out questionnaires and ask in depth about how the tinnitus is affecting your life and wellbeing. Based on your test results and discussion we can recommend a treatment that's tailored to your needs; our treatments are evidence based, which means they have been studied, peer reviewed and shown to provide benefit to tinnitus sufferers in controlled studies.

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Treatments

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Depending on your case we may decide to pursue one of the following options:

 

Sound Therapy (£560)

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Sound therapy involves introducing external sounds to help mask the bothersome sounds of tinnitus. These sounds include special masking noises tailored to your hearing and to the tone of your tinnitus. Most modern hearing aids incorporate variations of sound therapy. Given the frequent association between tinnitus and hearing impairment, using a contemporary hearing aid often proves to be an efficient approach to managing tinnitus.