Tinnitus can sound like ringing, buzzing, humming, hissing, cicadas, music or a pulse. It may be quiet or intrusive, occasional or constant, and heard in one ear, both ears or inside the head.
For some people it is a minor background sound. For others it affects sleep, concentration, confidence and emotional wellbeing. If your tinnitus is bothering you, being told to “just live with it” is not a treatment plan.
Ability Hearing & Balance provides comprehensive tinnitus assessment and personalised tinnitus treatment in Launceston. Our approach brings together audiology, hearing care and psychotherapy-informed support to address both the sound and the distress it may create.
There is no single treatment that suits every person with tinnitus, and responsible care should not promise a universal cure. However, there are evidence-informed ways to reduce its impact, improve your response to it and help you regain a sense of control.
The first step is understanding your particular tinnitus. Treatment depends on possible contributing factors, your hearing, your health history, the pattern of the sound and how your nervous system is responding to it.
A tinnitus assessment may be helpful when the sound:
- Is new, persistent or becoming more noticeable
- Interferes with sleep, concentration, work or relationships
- Causes anxiety, frustration, fear or low mood
- Occurs alongside hearing difficulty, sound sensitivity or blocked ears
- Is present mainly in one ear
- Changes significantly or has an unusual pattern
- Has not improved with general advice or basic sound strategies
Tinnitus that beats in time with your pulse, accompanies a sudden change in hearing, or occurs with new neurological symptoms requires prompt medical assessment. A section about urgent symptoms appears below.
A tinnitus assessment is more detailed than a routine hearing check. We begin with an extended conversation about the sound, when it began, factors that change it, your hearing and ear history, sleep, stress, health and the effect tinnitus is having on your life.
Your appointment includes a comprehensive hearing assessment and examination of your ears. Depending on the findings, we may also measure aspects of your tinnitus, assess sound tolerance or recommend medical investigation.
Most importantly, we explain the results clearly. You will leave with an individual plan rather than a generic list of tips.
The loudness of tinnitus does not always predict how distressing it feels. Attention, emotion, sleep and the body’s threat response can all influence how strongly the brain prioritises the sound.
When tinnitus is interpreted as dangerous or uncontrollable, the nervous system may become more alert to it. Increased monitoring can make the sound feel more intrusive, which creates a cycle of tinnitus, stress and heightened awareness.
Understanding this cycle is not about dismissing tinnitus as “all in your head”. It gives us more pathways for treatment. By working with hearing, attention, emotional responses and nervous-system regulation, tinnitus can often become less dominant.
Your recommendations will depend on your assessment. Treatment may involve one option or a combination of approaches.
Treating hearing and ear-health factors
Earwax, middle-ear problems and hearing loss may contribute to tinnitus or make it more noticeable. When hearing loss is present, appropriately fitted hearing aids can improve access to everyday sound and reduce listening effort. Medical referral is recommended when the history or test results indicate it.
A tailored digital tinnitus program
For suitable clients, our audiologist can create an individual program using the Tinnitus Pro app. This provides structured education, sound-based tools and therapeutic exercises selected around your tinnitus profile and treatment goals.
Psychotherapy-informed tinnitus support
When tinnitus is linked with fear, hypervigilance, sleep disruption or persistent distress, treatment may include counselling and psychotherapy-informed strategies. The aim is to change the patterns that keep tinnitus emotionally charged and help the nervous system respond differently.
Sound therapy
Sound can be used to reduce contrast, support relaxation and make quiet environments more comfortable. The goal is not always to cover tinnitus completely. Sound strategies are selected carefully so they support adaptation rather than increase dependence on constant masking.
Lenire bimodal neuromodulation
Lenire is a prescription tinnitus treatment that combines sound through headphones with gentle stimulation of the tongue. It is not suitable for everyone and requires a separate candidacy assessment and professionally supervised pathway. If appropriate, we can explain whether Lenire should be considered as part of your treatment plan.
Two people can have similar hearing results and experience tinnitus very differently. Effective care needs to consider what the sound means to you, how your attention responds, what happens at night and which situations reinforce distress.
Our tinnitus audiologist combines extensive clinical audiology experience with additional psychotherapy training. This allows assessment and treatment to address the hearing system and the emotional and nervous-system components of bothersome tinnitus within one coordinated plan.
Follow-up is based on what you need. Some people require information and reassurance; others benefit from a structured therapeutic program over several appointments.
Tinnitus assessments are available at our Launceston clinic at Shop 11, Yorktown Square Shopping Centre, Launceston TAS 7250.
Appointments are available by booking. Call 1300 327 776 or use the Launceston clinic page to contact our team.
Can tinnitus be cured?
There is currently no single cure for every form of tinnitus. Treatment focuses on identifying contributing factors and reducing the effect tinnitus has on your sleep, attention, emotions and daily life.
Do I need a referral?
No. You can contact Ability Hearing & Balance directly for a private tinnitus assessment. We may recommend that you also see your GP or an ear, nose and throat specialist if your symptoms or test results require medical investigation.
What happens if my hearing is normal?
Tinnitus can occur with hearing results that fall within the conventional normal range. Hearing aids are not appropriate for everyone, which is why we offer treatment options that do not depend on hearing loss.
Will I be pressured to buy hearing aids?
No. We are an independent clinic, and recommendations are based on your assessment. Hearing aids are discussed only when hearing loss is present and they are clinically appropriate.
Is Lenire the first treatment I should try?
Not necessarily. Lenire is one possible treatment for suitable adults. Your audiologist will first assess your tinnitus, hearing, medical considerations and previous treatment before discussing candidacy.
Seek urgent medical assessment if tinnitus begins with a sudden loss or rapid change in hearing, severe dizziness, facial weakness, new numbness or weakness, difficulty speaking, a severe headache or a recent head injury.
Tinnitus that pulses in time with your heartbeat, is consistently one-sided or changes suddenly should also be discussed promptly with your GP. An audiology assessment can contribute useful information, but it does not replace urgent medical care when red-flag symptoms are present.