Assessment of Tinnitus
Specifically for tinnitus assessment we carry out an interview with a tinnitus questionnaire to grade the impact and severity of the tinnitus.
Our tinnitus assessment starts with a detailed history and complete hearing evaluation including : Puretone Audiometry, Tympanometry, Acoustic Reflexes, Otoacoustic Emissions, Speech Discrimination. Tinnitus pitch and loudness matching can also be carried out.
We go through the results with you and advise on an appropriate individual treatment plan. Often further specialist referral is recommended such as ENT, neurology or other specialists.
Tinnitus is a problem when the process of habituation for some reason does not happen naturally. Habituation is the process through which your brain perceives something new and adapts to it, e.g. when you start wearing a watch, you will be aware of it until you get used to it, after a while you will not notice it anymore.
For those with chronic tinnitus, the tinnitus related neural signal is continually active at subconscious levels. Generally, we cannot completely eliminate symptoms of severe tinnitus. However with correct management and approaches to intervention, persons can reduce the severity of tinnitus and gain improvements in their quality of life.
Further questionnaires allow us to evaluate the effectiviness of the tinnitus treatment.
