All about tinnitus
We work with you to develop a tinnitus treatment and management plan.
Tinnitus testing, assessment
and management
Tinnitus is experienced as a sound inside the head or ears, that does not come from an outside source. It can be perceived as a ringing, buzzing, hissing, whistling, cicadas, humming, or other sound.
Tinnitus is a common and often bothersome sympton associated with changes in your ears, hearing or brain. We provide comprehensive tinnitus examinations allowing us to understand your tinnitus experience. Then we work with you to develop an individual tinnitus treatment and management plan.
Tinnitus management
Understanding tinnitus
Tinnitus is usually caused by a change in the hearing system, but can also occur after head or neck injuries, ear infections, stress, raised blood pressure, a side effect of some medications, and other causes.
The sound of tinnitus is usually generated by the brain itsel, as hearing pathways in the central nervous system generate their own internal noise. The brain then modifies its neural activity, as it tries to compensate for hearing loss (or in response to injury or stress). This sound cannot cause any direct harm but can trigger emotion and attention systems.
Should I be concerned?
For the majority of people, the sound of tinnitus is non-bothersome. However for approximately 1 in 200 people, tinnitus becomes annoying and unpleasant and can affect daily activities and quality of life.
In these cases, it is worth consulting your Audiologist for assessment and treatment. It's also important to see your Audiologist or doctor if you experience tinnitus with sudden onset, in one ear only or with other accompanying hearing or balance symptoms.
Who can help?
Although there is no simple cure for tinnitus, the brain can be trained to reduce, ignore, or adapt to it over time.
A full hearing test with your audiologist at Wolfe Hearing is recommended, to check for possible causes and contributions to tinnitus. We may refer you to your GP or ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist) if medical assessment or intervention is required.
The hearing test allows us to recommend suitable options for sound therapy, which may include sound therapy devices or hearing aids (including ear-level masking devices).
