Silence the sound that only you can hear
Our audiologists identify what is driving your tinnitus and build a management plan around your specific symptoms — serving Point Loma, Coronado, and greater San Diego County.
Tinnitus is the perception of ringing, buzzing, hissing, roaring, or other sounds that have no external source.
It affects an estimated 10 to 15 percent of adults in the United States — more than 50 million people — and for roughly one in five of them, the sound is disruptive enough to require clinical attention.
Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease.
That distinction matters because the evaluation is designed to find what is producing the signal — whether that is sensorineural hearing loss, noise exposure history, a medication effect, a vascular pattern, or something else entirely.
What tinnitus sounds like and why it varies
Patients describe tinnitus as ringing, buzzing, hissing, whooshing, clicking, chirping, or pulsing — sometimes steady, sometimes intermittent, sometimes shifting in pitch or volume. The variation is not random; different underlying causes tend to produce different sound profiles, which is one reason a detailed history is a useful diagnostic tool. Tinnitus can appear in one ear, both ears, or seem to come from inside the head, and those patterns also carry clinical information worth capturing.
Common causes and contributing factors
Sensorineural hearing loss is the most frequently identified cause of tinnitus, which is why a hearing evaluation is a standard part of the workup. Noise exposure — occupational, recreational, or from firearms — is among the most significant preventable contributors. Other factors include certain medications, vascular conditions, jaw alignment issues, and psychological stressors such as anxiety; tinnitus and anxiety can each amplify the other, making a comprehensive history important for understanding the full picture. For veterans and service members, blast exposure, traumatic brain injury, and PTSD are each independently linked to tinnitus severity.
What the evaluation includes
The appointment begins with a thorough case history: onset, character of the sound, triggers, and the specific ways it is affecting your day and sleep. A full audiological evaluation measures your hearing across frequencies and identifies any underlying hearing loss. Additional testing can measure the pitch and loudness of your tinnitus directly, and validated questionnaires document functional impact so that baseline severity is on record and progress can be tracked. From that complete picture, the audiologist explains what the findings mean and what management options are appropriate for your situation.
How tinnitus is managed
No single intervention eliminates tinnitus for everyone, and we do not promise otherwise. What a well-constructed management plan can do is reduce how much the sound intrudes on sleep, concentration, and conversation. For patients who also have hearing loss, properly fitted hearing technology often reduces the perceptual contrast that makes tinnitus more noticeable. Sound therapy, structured counseling approaches, and strategies for sleep and concentration are among the tools available depending on what the evaluation finds. The plan is built around your pattern of symptoms, not a one-size protocol.
When to seek an evaluation
Consider scheduling an evaluation if tinnitus has been present for more than a few weeks, if it began suddenly or in only one ear, if it is disrupting your sleep or your ability to focus in a quiet room, or if it appeared following noise exposure, a head injury, or a change in medication. Tinnitus that pulses in time with your heartbeat warrants prompt attention. Early evaluation produces a clearer baseline and more options — waiting until the impact is severe narrows the path.
“Tinnitus is the leading service-related disability among U.S. military veterans, and research at the VA San Diego Healthcare System has linked blast exposure, TBI, and PTSD to worsened symptoms — our audiologists are experienced in evaluating tinnitus in this population and understand what a complete workup needs to capture.”
Common Questions
Is tinnitus permanent?
Tinnitus is often a long-term condition — surveys show that more than half of people with tinnitus have had symptoms for longer than five years. That said, severity and intrusiveness can change, and many people find that well-matched management significantly reduces how much the sound interferes with daily life. An evaluation establishes where you are now and what options are realistic for your specific situation.
Can an audiologist actually measure my tinnitus?
Yes. During the evaluation, audiologists can measure the pitch and loudness of your tinnitus and assess how much external sound it takes to mask it. These measurements give the tinnitus a clinical profile that subjective description alone cannot provide, and they help guide recommendations.
My hearing seems fine — could I still have tinnitus related to hearing loss?
Hearing loss that does not show up in ordinary conversation can still be detectable on a full audiological evaluation, and even mild high-frequency loss is commonly associated with tinnitus. The evaluation covers the full range of frequencies rather than just the ones conversation relies on, so it captures changes that a basic screen would miss.
I am a veteran. Is tinnitus evaluation different for me?
The clinical process is the same, but the history takes into account noise exposure from firearms and machinery, blast events, and any history of traumatic brain injury or PTSD, all of which are independently linked to tinnitus in military populations. Tinnitus is the most common service-related disability among U.S. veterans, and the evaluation is built to reflect that context.
Will I be told there is nothing that can be done?
No. Even when tinnitus cannot be eliminated, there are evidence-based strategies for reducing its impact on sleep, concentration, and daily functioning. The evaluation is designed to find what is contributing to your tinnitus and what management approaches are appropriate — you leave with a clear picture of your situation and specific next steps.
Available at all our locations
Tinnitus Treatment is offered at every Peninsula Hearing & Balance Center office. Pick the location nearest you:
Ready to find out what is driving your tinnitus
Use the button below to schedule a tinnitus evaluation with a doctor of audiology at Peninsula Hearing & Balance Center. Your audiologist will review your full history, measure your hearing across frequencies, document how the sound is affecting your sleep and concentration, and walk you through the findings in plain language.