When diagnosing tinnitus, our specialist audiologists in Leicester take the following considerations into account:
- How long has the condition been present?
- Is the condition present in both ears or just one?
- How extreme is the condition and is it constant?
- Is the condition worse at certain times of the day or in certain places?
- How loud is the noise and is the pitch high or low?
- Is there any sensation in the ear that comes with the noise?
Further tests can then be carried out to more accurately diagnose the type and severity of tinnitus for our clients, including pitch matching and loudness tests. These will help to diagnose the level of sound in tinnitus that can be heard.
TINNITUS TREATMENT OPTIONS
Tinnitus can, in very basic terms, either be caused by a hearing related issue or a separate underlying health condition. In both cases, treatment can often be successful in alleviating the condition or to stop it from occurring altogether.
TREATING A HEALTH CONDITION TO STOP TINNITUS
If tinnitus is being caused by a health condition such as an excess build-up of ear wax in your ear’s canal, then this can be removed. Our specialists provide an ear wax removal service and, usually, once ear wax has been removed, the hearing will improve and ringing in your ear will cease.
Certain types of medication can also bring on tinnitus. If you have recently started a new type of prescription, then you may need to see a doctor to readdress dosage or to change the type of drug.
TREATING A HEARING ISSUE TO STOP TINNITUS
Hearing aids can often be a great source of relief to tinnitus sufferers. Firstly, if you’re struggling to hear when you’re experiencing tinnitus, then trying to hear over it can actually cause tinnitus to worsen. Correcting this hearing loss makes it easier for your brain to process sounds around you which means that it will override ringing in your ears and therefore shouldn’t continue to draw your attention to the sounds brought about by tinnitus.
HELPING TO PREVENT TINNITUS AT HOME
As well as hearing aids and eardrops, sometimes all that is needed to prevent tinnitus is some expert advice. That’s where our audiologists will always be able to help!
A top tip for keeping tinnitus at bay at home, especially if it’s quiet and you’re by yourself, is to let some sound into the room you’re in. This could be by turning on the radio or television at a low volume or just opening a window to let some of the sounds from outside in.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT WITH A TINNITUS AUDIOLOGIST IN LEICESTER
Our Leicester audiologists are happy to help you with diagnosing and treating tinnitus and hearing problems.
You can book an appointment by emailing info@hearingcentre.com or by calling us on 0116 254 3909.