Hearing Aids Offer Hope For Tinnitus Sufferers
March 8, 2009
Hearing aids can offer hope of better hearing for people who suffer from tinnitus (ringing in the ears.)
According to a recent survey conducted by the non-profit educational organization Better Hearing Institute (BHI) a survey of 230 hearing health professionals in the United States and Canada found that six out of ten patients reported some relief of their tinnitus when using hearing aids and two of ten reported major relief.
Past BHI research that found that nearly 9 million American adults with hearing loss have not sought a solution to their hearing problem simply because they also have tinnitus and mistakenly believe that nothing can be done about it.
Tinnitus (pronounced “tin-i-tus” or “tin-eye-tus”) is a ringing, buzzing, or humming in one or both ears that has no external source. It can be intermittent or constant, but for many who suffer from it, tinnitus is so intrusive that it has a debilitating effect on their quality of life. Some 50 million Americans suffer from tinnitus, and for 12 million the problem is so severe that it affects their everyday lives, influencing basic life functions such as socialization and relaxation.
Despite the high prevalence of tinnitus and the disruption it can cause, only a small number of sufferers contact their physicians or an audiologist for help. One reason is they mistakenly believe tinnitus is untreatable. Many physicians, who are not well-educated on tinnitus or on the latest treatment options, compound the problem by inappropriately telling their patients who complain of tinnitus to just go home and learn to live with it.
“No one should ever ignore persistent tinnitus,” Kochkin said. “Not only is every individual entitled to a chance to regain their quality of life, but in rare cases tinnitus also can be a symptom of a more serious health issue that could demand medical intervention. What’s more, nearly everyone with tinnitus has hearing loss as well.”
For years, Scott Schaefer, publisher/editor of The B-Town Blog (www.b-townblog.com) suffered from tinnitus and hearing loss in his right ear as the result of standing too near a speaker at a music event. Highline audiologist, Rebecca Grady evaluated Scott’s hearing and programmed an Oticon Dual hearing aid for him to test-drive. After a fine-tuning session, Scott declared the test a success: the amplification seemed to penetrate the “curtain” of buzzing that had fogged his ability to hear for such a long time, enabling him to hear his children in the car, and reduce the number of times he asked people to repeat. He declares that less buzzing and better hearing have made him “a happier person.”
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