Can tinnitus be cured or is it something that people just have to live with? 

On Lunchtime Live, audiologist Frank McGrath described the condition as a “big problem” worldwide and one that many Irish people suffer from. 

“It is very simply noise in your head that doesn’t exist or comes from the outside world,” he said. 

“Recent statistics for Ireland, there’s somewhere in the region of 600,000 people suffering with tinnitus on a daily basis - or at least experiencing tinnitus on a daily basis. 

“Somewhere in the region of 42,000 have severe debilitating tinnitus that stops them from functioning in a normal way.

“For 90% - possibly more - the route loss is hearing loss or some small anomaly in your hearing.” 

Mr McGrath said the condition has numerous potential triggers - such as illness, a fall, trauma or even stress. 

“[Those things] if you like, kick your brain into filling a gap in your hearing spectrum that it has noticed,” he said. 

“It fills that gap with random electric noise - that’s the simplest explanation.” 

Tinnitus is the name for hearing noises that are not caused by an outside source. They come from inside your body. It's often described as 'ringing in the ears'. #Tinnitus can affect people of all ages but it's more common in people aged over 65.

Learn more:… pic.twitter.com/iUua2zWI8Q

— HSE Ireland (@HSELive) July 21, 2024

Can the condition ever be fixed? Mr McGrath said it is possible and it is always important to give it a go. 

“The very same way there’s no cure for tooth decay… you don’t accept that there’s a hole in your tooth and let it rot and fall out,” he said. 

“You go and do something about it; so, if you have tinnitus, you don’t need a diagnosis from anybody except yourself. 

“If you have noise in your head and it doesn’t come from the outside world, you have tinnitus. 

“You need to go to your GP and you need to go to an audiologist - book in for a hearing test.” 

Exercises and sound therapy

Mr McGrath encouraged anyone who develops tinnitus to “be positive”. 

“I’ve spent years developing my own treatment system and for a small number of people, I have cured them but they are absolutely in the minority,” he said. 

“The vast majority of people, 90% who come into my clinic, I’m able to get them to experience the sound being reduced - and reduced significantly.

“There’s exercises and sound therapy that you can do that allow you to get over that hump and let you understand that you can control it.”

Main image: Man feels strong ear pain at home. Picture by: Alamy.com