Arrange a Tinnitus Test in Melbourne

One of the most common and often debilitating problems caused by Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is tinnitus. Tinnitus is defined as the presence of any sound in the ear/s or head that is not caused by an external sound source. In other words, it is a sound generated by the hearing system that only the sufferer can hear. It is often described as ringing or buzzing in the ears, although descriptions of the reported sound are many and varied. Tinnitus can often be the first warning sign of damage to the hearing system from excessive noise and often precedes any recordable drop in hearing. The condition can be temporary or more permanent and can be diagnosed with a simple tinnitus test.

Frequently Asked Questions

How common is tinnitus?

A surprisingly common condition, approximately 10-20% of the population will experience noticeable tinnitus at some time in their lives. It is more common in older age. 1-2% of those with tinnitus will find the condition causes them significant distress, fear and anxiety; this affects their quality of life in areas such as sleep, relaxation, concentration. Speak to your doctor or a trusted medical professional about a tinnitus test for your health and wellbeing.

How long does tinnitus last?

Tinnitus usually lasts for a short period of time (for example: after loud noise exposure), but it can persist continuously and will be more noticeable in a quiet environment, such as going to sleep.

How is work related tinnitus determined?

It is very difficult to ascertain whether tinnitus has occurred directly from work. While it definitely is related to loud noise exposure, a tinnitus test can’t determine exactly where the damage has come from. As a law firm, we are trying to help our clients that suffer from this debilitating problem to get treatment paid by Workcover/Worksafe or Comcare, as it may be quite costly, in order to improve their quality of life.

How can tinnitus be managed?

1) Amplification

Tinnitus is often associated with hearing loss; about 70% of people with hearing loss report tinnitus. For these people, tinnitus can often be reduced or eliminated through the use of appropriately fitted hearing aids.

Hearing aids are beneficial to tinnitus sufferers due to a number of reasons:

With hearing loss, the brain does not receive normal sound stimulation from the ear, and this causes hyperactivity in the brain that can be heard as tinnitus. Hearing aids amplify sounds and restore the sound stimulation of the neural pathways in the brain; this helps to reset the brain activity back to normal so tinnitus is reduced and in some cases eliminated.
Hearing aids also help to reduce the contrast between tinnitus and silence. With hearing aids, you will be able to hear all the normal environmental sounds around you and so you will not be as aware of the tinnitus
Hearing loss can cause stress and fatigue because of the amount of concentration required to understand what is going on. Stress is known to exacerbate tinnitus. The use of hearing aids can alleviate this stress to help reduce the perception of tinnitus
Many of today’s hearing aids incorporate sound generators such as a tinnitus masking noise or fractal tones (Widex ZEN) to stimulate the neural pathways. We call these combination devices. They work to reduce the hyperactivity in the brain that is associated with tinnitus. The Widex ZEN fractal tones have an added benefit in that they are specifically designed to relax the user and reduce stress levels which in turn can further reduce tinnitus perception.

2) Sound Therapy

Sound therapy can take a number of forms:

Hearing aids that can generate sounds such as masking noise or fractal tones
Tinnitus devices such as the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment

Masking noise or fractal musical tones (Widex ZEN) and the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment stimulate the auditory pathways and reduce the hyperactivity in the brain that is associated with tinnitus and hence reduce the perception of tinnitus. Each of these devices uses its own specific and patented sound to manage tinnitus. Our audiologists will advise you on the best solution for your individual needs after conducting a tinnitus test.

Tinnitus masking noise and Widex ZEN fractal tones are incorporated into hearing aids making them:

Easy and discreet to use because they are housed in a small, on-the-ear device
If there is a hearing loss, this can also be addressed with the same device

The Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment uses a small lightweight device with headphones to deliver spectrally modified, precisely designed music embedded with an acoustic neural stimulus, to your ears and brain. We offer different levels of Neuromonics sound therapy depending on your individual needs. We will discuss these options during your tinnitus consultation.

3) Ongoing Counselling with a trained professional on Tinnitus treatment.

Following your tinnitus test, we can provide you with ongoing counselling and guidance designed to help you manage your loss of hearing over time. Sessions can include providing information about the mechanisms of tinnitus, the way your auditory system works, and how particular areas of your brain such as the fight or flight response and the emotional area can impact your tinnitus.