It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of the U.S. population experiences chronic or persistent tinnitus (e.g., ringing in the ears or internal head noises). About half of the people with tinnitus are bothered by it. Tinnitus can have a direct impact on a person’s emotional well-being, their hearing, and ability to sleep and to concentrate. These in turn influence basic life functions such as socialization and relaxation. In severe cases, it can interfere with the individual’s ability to perform adequately on the job, or contribute to psychological disorders such as depression, suicide ideation, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and anger.
Despite the high prevalence of tinnitus and its obvious impact on the psychological health of the patient, only a small number of people contact physicians or hearing care professionals for help. The reason perhaps lies in the widespread belief that tinnitus is incurable or untreatable. Yet, there are several methods for treating tinnitus by alleviating the impact it has on quality of life. One major inadvertent tragedy associated with the belief that tinnitus cannot be helped is that people, in addition to not seeking help for their tinnitus, also do not seek help for their hearing loss. In a recent large-scale survey of the U.S. hearing-impaired population who had neglected their hearing loss, 39 percent (more than nine million adult Americans) indicated they had not sought help for their hearing loss specifically because they concurrently had tinnitus.
A survey of 230 hearing care professionals suggests that six out of 10 patients (60 percent) experience minor to major relief of tinnitus when wearing hearing aids, and a total of one in five (22 percent) receive major relief. Less than two percent of patients experience a worsening of their tinnitus when wearing hearing aids, while 39 percent receive no benefit.
Now the Widex hearing aid company has introduced a hearing aid that helps understanding in noise and has a Zen feature which is a relaxation program that helps reduce the stress of hearing loss and may help alleviate the tinnitus. Come in for a trial and experience it yourself.
If you have tinnitus or if you simply have difficulty understanding what people are saying, and you would like more info about the new technologies available, contact Nola Aronson, M.A., Patrice Rifkind, Au.D., Ginny Newman, Au.D. or Nina Ball, M.S. of Audiology Associates at 661-288-1400.