The study, led by Richard Tyler, Ph.D., UI Hospitals and Clinics professor of Audiology in the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, is the largest clinical trial for tinnitus ever funded by the government and is supported by a five-year, $1.7 million grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, part of the National Institutes of Health.

The UI researchers are comparing different versions of treatments that have been reported to help 80 percent of those with tinnitus. The study examines the effectiveness of approaches that combine low-level background sounds, including music, with a new, extensive counseling protocol.

The low-level background sound decreases the prominence of the tinnitus, but is not too loud to be annoying. The counseling is designed to help with concentration, hearing and sleep problems caused by the ringing.

Tinnitus affects about one in every 100 people and there is no cure for the disorder, so knowing the most effective treatment is very important. The results of the UI study will help people with tinnitus and audiologists and physicians who treat them.

For more information:

Richard Tyler, Ph.D.

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders