One of the most debilitating hearing conditions a person can live with is tinnitus, characterised by a constant high pitched ringing noise in the ear. Tinnitus is largely concerned with the Middle Ear and the severity of damage that has been caused to it. The condition can present itself in children or adults and is usually caused by exposure to loud music or working in environments where loud noises are commonplace, such as factories and mechanical workshops where you might be required to wear ear safety equipment. Ear infections can also lead to the development of tinnitus.
An appointment with an audiologist in Melbourne can test you for tinnitus. Book a consultation with Acute Hearing and we can put you onto a tinnitus treatment plan that can help significantly reduce the impact tinnitus has on your life.
Tinnitus can be diagnosed in a number of ways. When you make an appointment with an audiologist in Melbourne, they might put you into a soundproof room wearing a set of headphones. The audiologist will play a series of different sounds through one ear at a time and compare the time it takes for you to indicate that you’ve heard the sound against the national average for people of the same age. Depending on the suspected cause of the tinnitus, you might be brought in for a CT scan or MRI in order to identify any problems. Another common method of diagnosis is to assess the sufferer’s movements, such as clenching of the jaw, movement of the eyes, and rotation of the arms and legs. Problems with these common movement patterns may indicate that tinnitus is present and possibly worsening.
Once the level of tinnitus has been determined, the audiologist can then explore ideas of tinnitus treatment.
It must be said from the outset that at this point in time, there is no cure for tinnitus – therefore any form of tinnitus treatment will only relieve the severity of your symptoms. Your audiologist in Melbourne may put you onto a hearing aid which will help to focus your hearing on what you need to hear while muffling any extraneous sounds.
If you’re concerned about the possibility you might have tinnitus, or if you work in an environment that could lead to you developing the condition in the future, make an appointment now with Acute Hearing’s audiologist and take the steps towards preserving your hearing for years to come.
