Tinnitus - Diagnosing tinnitus

It's very important that you see your GP if you have a problem with your hearing, such as hearing ringing or buzzing sounds.

Tell your GP if your tinnitus is severe and if it's having an impact on your everyday life or making you stressed and anxious.

Your tinnitus may be caused by a temporary condition that's easy to treat, such as earwax build-up or an ear infection. If this is the case, your GP should be able to treat the condition, which should improve your tinnitus.

Specialist referral

If your GP rules out an underlying cause for your tinnitus, they may refer you to the ear, nose and throat (ENT) department of your hospital.

At your appointment, an ENT specialist will examine your ears, ask you about the type and severity of the noises you can hear, and carry out tests to try to establish what's causing them.

You may have a computerised tomography (CT) scan or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. These type of scans will allow the specialist to closely examine the inside of your ear, auditory nerve and brain.

If hearing loss is suspected, you may be referred to an audiologist (a specialist in hearing disorders) who will carry out some specific hearing tests to assess your level of hearing.

© Crown Copyright 2009