Cork Tinnitus Support Group

Many people who become aware of their tinnitus noise are advised to visit an audiologist to have their hearing tested. A significant proportion of them will be told they have some mild or moderate hearing loss. Others will be told their hearing is normal for their age. No simple relationship has been established between hearing loss and tinnitus – some people with tinnitus have normal hearing; others don’t. Some people have a hearing loss but have no tinnitus. Often, people believe that tinnitus has ‘caused’ their hearing loss, but it is likely the case that the hearing loss was there for some time before the tinnitus became noticeable, and was only brought to the person’s attention after a hearing test. 

However, it will be of interest to those who have some hearing loss along with tinnitus that wearing a hearing aid sometimes has a quietening effect on their tinnitus. This is presumed to be a result of the external sound being enhanced. However, each person will need to have an assessment by a qualified audiologist to determine whether a hearing aid is necessary, what kind of aid will help the hearing, and whether it will help moderate the tinnitus, especially before making a very significant financial outlay on one or maybe two hearing aids.