Ivor Lewis
As a fully qualified Fellowship member of both the British, and the Irish Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists, he has years of advanced training both locally and nationally.
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I sometimes hear ringing noises in my ears what causes that? R.O’ Neill – Wexford
Dolores Madden – Hidden Hearing
Tinnitus is a common occurring symptom for many people. Tinnitus more commonly occurs in men, the elderly, factory workers and people with certain health problems.
In general, anything that causes hearing loss can also cause tinnitus. Most hearing loss develops gradually as we age. This age-related hearing loss occurs whether or not people have had significant noise exposure, ear infections or any other specific ear disease and can progress through the life. Research shows that often individuals who experience tinnitus have some degree of hearing loss. However, there are many individuals who experience tinnitus but have no measureable hearing loss.
Most often tinnitus sufferers show that their tinnitus problems tend to cluster into four categories:
• Sleep
• Hearing (difficulty understanding speech is often attributed to the fact that most tinnitus sufferers also have hearing loss)
• Emotion (feelings of despair, frustration, depression, annoyance, irritation)
• Concentration (inability to focus, fatigue, confusion)
While there is no cure for tinnitus, there are many treatment options that may reduce the symptoms of tinnitus and/or lower the noise being heard. These include: limited medical or surgical procedures, alternative therapy, sound therapy, counseling or a combination of these treatments.
Education and/or counseling can help many tinnitus sufferers develop coping strategies and can decrease the psychological consequences often associated with tinnitus. Coupled with amplification and/or sound therapy, patient benefit increases and often yields successful management.
It is always best to consult your GP to determine if you have tinnitus. If you do, they can refer you to a specialist for treatment.
