What are the options for tinnitus management and treatment?

There are many options for people who experience tinnitus. Some wear hearing aids to help cover up their tinnitus, some wear tinnitus maskers. Additionally, there are combined tinnitus maskers and hearing aids ?all in one unit! Some patients require counseling to help them develop effective management strategies to manage their tinnitus. If you'e been told " learn to live with it, " there are many additional options to explore. Your audiologist is an excellent resource for issues and answers related to tinnitus. Additionally, I recommend all people with tinnitus visit the American Tinnitus Association website for more information, ideas and strategies concerning tinnitus. http://www.ata.org/

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Do I Have Hearing Loss

You may have hearing loss if you experience any of these symptoms:

• You hear people speaking but strain to understand their words.
• You frequently ask people to repeat what they said.
• You don't laugh at jokes because you miss the punch line.
• You frequently complain that people mumble.
• You need to ask others about the details of a meeting you just attended.
• You play the TV or radio louder than your friends, spouse and relatives.
• You cannot hear the doorbell or the telephone.
• You find that when people look directly at you while they speak to you, it makes it easier to understand.

If you have any of the above symptoms, we recommend an appointment to obtain a comprehensive audiometric evaluation.

An audiometric evaluation (AE) is the term used to describe a diagnostic hearing test.  An AE is more than just pressing the button when you hear a " beep. " Rather, an audiometric evaluation allows the audiologist to determine the type and degree of your hearing loss and it indicates how well (or how poorly) you understand speech in quiet and in noisy backgrounds. Speech sounds are the most important sounds we hear and the ability to understand speech is extremely important.  Your ability to hear and understand speech in quiet and in noisy situations can be accurately assessed by your hearing care professional (audiologist, ENT, hearing aid specialist). The AE also includes a thorough case history (interview) as well as visual inspection of the ear canal and eardrum and more.

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Audiograms and Hearing Loss

Results of the audiometric evaluation are plotted on a chart called an audiogram. Loudness is plotted from top to bottom. Frequency is plotted from left to right. Hearing loss (HL) is measured in a scale of decibels normalized for human hearing (dB HL) and is described in general categories (below). 

The general hearing loss categories used by most hearing professionals are as follows:

Normal hearing (0 to 25 dB HL)
Mild hearing loss (26 to 40 dB HL)
Moderate hearing loss (41 to 70 dB HL)
Severe hearing loss (71 to 90 dB HL)
Profound hearing loss (greater than 91 dB HL)

Interestingly, some people may tell you they don't need hearing aids because they ONLY have a 30 decibel hearing loss. However when you plug your ears with your fingers, you'll experience approximately a 25 decibel hearing loss - and you'll quickly realize that going through your day with even a little hearing loss is quite irritating and disconcerting!

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