What Is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is what it’s called when you physically hear something without there being an external source. For most people, it shows up as chronic ringing in the ears, but others may experience differences in the sound or tone of what they’re hearing.

For some, this ringing in the ears is easy to ignore and let fade into the background. For others, tinnitus becomes a persistent, disruptive condition in need of interventional treatment. An evaluation with an ENT specialist can help determine what may be contributing and what options are available to manage symptoms.

Symptoms of Tinnitus

Tinnitus is experienced differently by each and every person. The sound itself may change over time, vary in intensity or feel more noticeable, depending on the environment and a person’s emotional state.

Common symptoms include:

• Ringing, buzzing, humming or clicking sounds in the ears that others can’t hear
• Noise that becomes more noticeable at night or in quiet rooms
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying focused due to persistent sound
• A feeling that sound is present even when the ears feel otherwise normal
• Frustration or fatigue related to ongoing auditory disruption

Diagnosis and Treatment of Tinnitus

Diagnosing tinnitus starts with listening carefully to how symptoms present themselves and how long they’ve been present. It usually starts with an ENT specialist reviewing your medical history and physically examining your ears. Often, hearing testing is recommended at this point to help you and your care team better understand how your auditory system is functioning.

Treatment is individualized and depends on what is contributing to the tinnitus. In many cases, tinnitus cannot be completely eliminated, but it can be managed in ways that reduce discomfort. Treatment for tinnitus often focuses on treating related conditions and using strategies that make the noise less noticeable and easier to live with over time.

What Does an ENT Do To Help Treat Chronic Ringing in the Ears?

What your ENT suggests for treatment will depend on the nature and cause of your tinnitus.

If it’s associated with hearing loss, they may recommend hearing-based solutions that reduce the contrast between environmental sound and tinnitus. For many patients, improving access to external sound makes ringing in the ears less noticeable and easier to ignore. ENTs also evaluate for medical or structural contributors that can worsen tinnitus, such as earwax buildup, middle ear problems, medication side effects or other conditions affecting the auditory nerve. When a contributing factor is identified, treatment can be directed at that cause rather than the symptom alone.

No matter the cause, our team is here to help people understand which strategies are most likely to help them maintain ongoing comfort and quality-of-life.