Tinnitus examination by an ENT to diagnose treatable conditions like middle ear infection, acoustic neuroma, concussion, otosclerosis, etc. Evaluation of tinnitus will include a hearing test (audiogram), measurement of acoustic parameters of the tinnitus like pitch and loudness, and psychological assessment of comorbid conditions like depression, anxiety, and stress that are associated with severity of the tinnitus. The accepted definition of chronic tinnitus, as compared to normal ear noise experience, is five minutes of ear noise occurring at least twice a week. However, people with chronic tinnitus often experience the noise more frequently than this and can experience it continuously or
Tinnitus masker for hearing loss. Sound generators (masking devices) have received Class II approval from the FDA. However, they are considered to be “experimental, investigational, or unproven” therapies. There is one report of a bone conduction vibration masker that transmits a 60 Hz fundamental with adjustable harmonics up to 1000 Hz. A commercial device based on the phenomenon (Aurex3) was approved by the FDA. A new development in tinnitus management is the use of high audio (10 kHz-20 kHz) or ultrasonic (20-100 kHz) via bone conduction. A 2012 Cochrane Review stated the available studies do not show strong evidence of the efficacy