If I have Tinnitus, do I also have hearing loss?

May 24, 2025

Tinnitus is a phantom sound heard in the ear without the presence of any external sounds from the environment. It is often described as a high frequency ringing sound but it can also appear as any frequency of sounds. It can occur in one or both ears and can be continuous or intermittent.

Common causes of tinnitus include noise induced hearing loss, earwax build up, degeneration of the cochlea, age related hearing loss, Meniere’s disease, etc.

If I have tinnitus, do I also have hearing loss? What’s the connection?

Tinnitus is highly associated with hearing loss.

For those with hearing loss, there is a high chance this individual will also suffer from tinnitus. Study has shown that more than 70% of people with hearing loss report having had tinnitus. 80 to 90 % of tinnitus patients show some evidence of hearing loss. On the other hand, there is also a smaller group of patients with tinnitus that do not show any sign of hearing loss in their Audiogram report.

2.When do you recommend a hearing test if tinnitus persists?

Since tinnitus is highly associated with hearing loss, we will recommend the patient to see an Audiologist for diagnostic hearing test as soon as possible. The hearing test will help to assess whether there is any hearing loss and the degree and type of loss. The presence of hearing loss can be a surprise as the tinnitus condition often overshadows the hearing loss issue.

For those with tinnitus and hearing loss, hearing aid amplification can often be the most effective tool to help the brain to achieve habituation to the tinnitus sound. With aided hearing, environmental sounds are very effective masking sound toward the tinnitus.

Many tinnitus patients are told that there is no cure and they would have to live with the condition. However, there are ways to relieve and better manage tinnitus so you don’t have to let this affect how you live, work and play.