Specialist tinnitus service, Ótologie Tinnitus Care is offering free assessments to people living with tinnitus to mark its sponsorship of the British Tinnitus Association’s Tinnitus Week, which runs from February 7-13, 2022. 

Anyone who books a tinnitus assessment with Ótologie, from February 7-13, will get the assessment, which normally costs £85 (USD $115) , free of charge. Owned by medical devices company, Neuromod Devices Ltd, Ótologie is a specialist healthcare service for people living with tinnitus, in the UK and throughout Europe, to help “avoid waiting lists and give them immediate access to treatment for their tinnitus.”

Tinnitus, commonly known as “ringing in the ears” affects between 10-15% of the global adult population[i] and the BTA estimates that more than seven million people suffer from this condition in the UK alone[ii]

A recent poll by Neuromod found that more than three quarters of people living from tinnitus in the UK have never received any treatment for their condition. The research, which polled 251 people with tinnitus across the UK, found that 76.1% of respondents have never used any form of tinnitus treatment. It also revealed that 67.7% of those polled don’t feel adequately informed about tinnitus.  For those who have sought treatment for their tinnitus, a consultation with an ENT is commonplace. However, COVID-19 continues to impact the health service’s ability to provide care to people with tinnitus. As of November 2021, the most recently available statistics from the NHS, 45% of people on referral to treatment waiting lists for ENTs had been waiting for more than 18 weeks.[iii]

A dedicated tinnitus assessment includes more than a hearing test, as this condition affects the auditory, attentional, and emotional areas of a patient’s brain. The free assessment is conducted by one of Ótologie’s audiologists and includes an evaluation of tinnitus using clinical standards designed specifically for the condition, a full medical evaluation, a hearing test, and, based on the results of all these diagnostics, a treatment recommendation. This allows the audiologist to fully understand how the tinnitus is affecting every individual patient’s life.

 Lia Bresnihan

Speaking on this initiative, Lia Bresnihan, managing director at Ótologie said: “The tinnitus experience varies greatly from person to person. The condition affects the auditory, attentional, and emotional areas of your brain. That’s why it is so important to have an assessment from a qualified audiologist if you have been suffering from tinnitus for more than three months. People who struggle with tinnitus often suffer in silence as they may think that because there is no cure for tinnitus, that there is no treatment that will help them. By offering free assessments, we are hoping to inform patients as best we can about their condition and to empower them to do something about that annoying ringing in their ears.”

To avail of a free tinnitus assessment visit: www.otologie.com/bta, book a call, and use the promotional code BTAWEEK. The assessment, which a patient can choose at a day and time that suits them, will be done via a video call.

Furthermore, to mark Tinnitus Week, Ótologie is also hosting a free webinar, “Living with Tinnitus: What Are the Treatment Options?,” which will take place on Thursday, February 10 at 1 PM. 

This session, which will be delivered by Ótologie’s specialist audiologists Helen MacMahon and Clodagh Kelly, will help attendees to better understand their tinnitus, provide practical advice for how to best manage tinnitus, and detail the various treatment options available to patients. 

The webinar is free of charge and limited spaces can be booked at: www.otologie.com/webinar-living-with-tinnitus/

Bresnihan added, “We are delighted to partner with the British Tinnitus Association as a sponsor of their Tinnitus Week. The BTA’s mission is to drive progress towards a cure and to deliver excellent support to help people living with tinnitus. This aligns with our mission at Ótologie to provide groundbreaking tinnitus care that improves the lives of many. Also, I would encourage anyone who is looking to learn more about their tinnitus, or if they have a loved one or friend with tinnitus and they just want to learn more about the condition, to sign up for our free webinar on Thursday, February 10.”

References:

  1. Baguley D, McFerran D, Hall D. Tinnitus. The Lancet. 2013;382(9904):1600-1607.
  2. Wray N. More people living with tinnitus than previously thought. British Tinnitus Association (BTA) website. https://www.tinnitus.org.uk/blog/more-people-living-with-tinnitus-than-previously-thought. Published April 1, 2019.
  3. NHS referral to treatments (RTT) waiting times data. News release. National Health Service (NHS). January 13, 2022.  https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/Nov21-RTT-SPN-publication.pdf.

Source: Ótologie Tinnitus Care

Images: Ótologie Tinnitus Care