Welcome back to our series for Tinnitus Week. In Part 1, we explored how hearing loss above the standard 8 kHz range can trigger tinnitus. Now, we dive deeper into another subtle form of auditory damage that an ordinary hearing test misses: Cochlear Synaptopathy. The cornerstone of the QNAS process is the crucial fact that […]
For Tinnitus Week, we’re exploring a common and frustrating question: “My audiologist said my hearing is perfect, so why do I have this ringing in my ears?” The cornerstone of tinnitusclinic.ie practice, the QNAS process, has the crucial fact that tinnitus is a symptom of an underlying auditory weakness. If this is so, how is […]
Understanding why tinnitus feels so intrusive Many people describe tinnitus as a sound in the ears, ringing, buzzing, hissing, or humming. But in practice, tinnitus is rarely just a sound. It is an experience shaped by attention, stress, emotion, fatigue, and context. This explains why tinnitus can feel overwhelming at one time and barely […]
When tinnitus is only part of the picture Tinnitus often arrives alongside subtle hearing changes, increased listening effort, or fatigue. Even when hearing tests appear normal, the brain may be working harder than it should to interpret sound. This extra effort is sometimes called brain load. When the brain is under strain, tinnitus tends […]
In October I attended the Tinnitus and Cognitive Decline Summit in Chicago, an international, clinically focused meeting examining the increasingly recognised links between tinnitus, hearing loss, cognitive load, and long-term brain health. The summit brought together leading clinician-scientists, epidemiologists, and professional bodies, reinforcing the view that tinnitus is best understood not as an isolated […]
