What to expect at your first tinnitus appointment

Your first tinnitus appointment is mostly a conversation, along with a few painless hearing tests. You will talk about what you hear and how it affects your days, the clinic will check your hearing, and together you will start working out what might help. Knowing what is coming can make the visit feel a little easier.

Before your visit

A few notes can make the conversation easier, especially if you tend to forget things once you are in the room. It can help to write down these details.

• When you first noticed the tinnitus, and whether it started suddenly or gradually.
• What it sounds like (ringing, buzzing, hissing, humming, or pulsing) and whether you hear it in one ear, both ears, or your head.
• Whether it is constant or comes and goes, and what seems to make it better or worse.
• How it affects your sleep, focus, and mood.
• Any medicines you take, and any recent noise exposure, ear problems, or head injury.

Some clinics send forms or questionnaires to fill in ahead of time. If you already wear hearing aids, bring them, along with any past hearing test results.

Talking about your tinnitus

Most first visits begin with a conversation about your hearing, your health, and your tinnitus. The clinician will likely ask many of the questions above, so your notes will come in handy.

You will probably fill in a short questionnaire, such as the Tinnitus Functional Index or the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. These ask how tinnitus affects things like sleep, concentration, and mood. There are no right or wrong answers. Your scores give a starting point, so you and your clinician can see later on whether treatment is helping.

Some questions may touch on stress, worry, or low mood. Clinics ask because tinnitus can affect how you feel day to day, and honest answers help them find the right support for you.

The hearing tests

The tests should not hurt. Most involve sitting in a quiet room or booth with headphones on and responding to sounds. The exact set varies by clinic, and these are the ones that come up most often.

• Ear check. The clinician looks inside your ears with a small light to check for earwax or other problems.
• Hearing test. You press a button or raise a hand each time you hear a beep. This shows whether you have any hearing loss, and at which pitches.
• Middle ear check. If needed, a soft probe in the ear canal measures how well your eardrum moves.
• Tinnitus matching. You compare tones or noises with your tinnitus to find the closest pitch and loudness. The clinician may check how much sound it takes to cover your tinnitus.
• Sound tolerance check. If everyday sounds often feel too loud, the clinic may measure how loud sounds can get before they feel uncomfortable.

When a referral may come up

Tinnitus is commonly linked to hearing loss and rarely to other physical problems. Sometimes the clinician will suggest seeing a doctor, often an ENT (a specialist in ear, nose, and throat conditions), for a closer look. This is more likely if your tinnitus is only in one ear, pulses in time with your heartbeat, or comes with uneven hearing between your ears. A referral like this is a routine, careful step, and your clinic will explain why they are suggesting it.

A few symptoms need prompt care and should not wait for a tinnitus appointment. Contact a doctor the same day if your hearing drops suddenly. Seek emergency care if tinnitus comes with sudden symptoms such as weakness in your face.

Making a plan together

At the end of the visit, the clinician will usually talk through what they found and what might help. Depending on your hearing and how much tinnitus affects you, the options might include these.

• Hearing aids, if you have hearing loss. Our article on whether hearing aids help tinnitus explains the research.
• Sound therapy, which adds soft background sound so tinnitus takes up less attention. You can read about a recent sound therapy trial.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy, a structured talking therapy that helps you manage how you respond to tinnitus. Digital programs such as Oto and Tinnitus Pro offer CBT-based tools through an app.
• Tinnitus retraining therapy, which combines counseling with sound therapy over a longer period.
• Lenire, a prescription device for adults with at least moderate tinnitus. Our article on a New York study covers recent results.

You do not have to decide everything at the first visit. A follow-up appointment gives you a chance to see how things are going and adjust the plan. You can read about every option on our treatments page.

Find a tinnitus clinic near you

Every clinic listed on Tinnitus Support treats tinnitus, and each profile shows which treatments it offers. Search your city in our clinic directory to find care close to home. When you call to book, it can help to ask how long the first visit takes, whether a hearing test is included, and whether your insurance covers it.