Six million Brits are coping with tinnitus, a condition which causes ringing, buzzing, humming or whooshing noises in the ears.
Tinnitus is associated with hearing loss in 90 per cent of cases but many of those living with the disorder feel they aren’t getting enough help.
Research by the British Tinnitus Association recently found that 53 per cent of those who went to their GP with the condition were unhappy with the advice they were given. The same study found that 88 per cent of people referred to an audiology unit had to wait up to four months for an appointment.
Tinnitus involves hearing noises in the ears that come from inside the head, rather than an external source. This ringing, buzzing or humming can be in one or both ears and can seriously damage quality of life. But the good news is that the latest technology in hearing aids can help bring respite from tinnitus and restore quality of life.
Amplifon, a global hearing specialist, can provide expert advice and suitable hearing aids quickly, to help reduce the symptoms. According to the British Tinnitus Association studies have ‘strongly suggested that for a significant number of people, hearing aids do reduce the effect of tinnitus.’ The ability of hearing aids to amplify sounds around them can make the noises associated with tinnitus less noticeable.
Amplifon’s state of the art digital aids can be tailored to suit a person’s individual hearing needs and can come with bespoke tinnitus programmes. These work by producing relaxing sounds that mask the effect of tinnitus, distracting the wearer from the unwanted, endless noises in their ears that can cause everything from sleep deprivation to depression.
Wireless streaming now means that patients can also choose from a range of sounds they prefer at the press of a button. Sound pillows, which generate sound via a connected smartphone or MP3 player, can also help those experiencing tinnitus get a good night’s rest. Each person’s experience of tinnitus tends to be unique to them, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be a life sentence.
Lots of people are already finding that thanks to good advice from an audiologist through Amplifon – which has over 200 hearing centres in the UK – their quality of life has been transformed.
