Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the head or ears in the absence of an actual sound source, and it is often described as ‘ringing’ or ‘buzzing.

Most people who are diagnosed with tinnitus have some degree of hearing loss but the exact cause of tinnitus is not fully understood. It is thought that – as the damaged cochlea hair cells do no send their information as effectively as they should that the hearing centre of the brain overcompensates for the missing information by generating its own sound.

As a result, a ‘phantom’ sound – ringing or buzzing – is perceived. The volume of tinnitus can range from barely audible to loud enough to be bothersome or even debilitating.

The first step to tinnitus management is a Full Diagnostic Hearing Assessment which will allow the audiologist to assess your hearing.

During this appointment the audiologist will also ask a range of questions to fully understand the nature of your tinnitus and based on the these they will then recommend a management plan that is tailored to you.

This assessment is approximately 60-minutes in duration and will include your audiologist also assessing your overall hearing.