Are There Any Treatments For Hyperacusis?

Sufferers of hyperacusis do not always know, or want for some reason, to seek help.  It is estimated that less than half those who have the condition will ever look for a remedy.  Maybe they feel that nothing can be done to decrease their hearing sensitivity.  However, in recent years some effective treatments for hyperacusis and tinnitus have come along.

Some have used the method known as TRT.  Although this stands for tinnitus retraining therapy, it applies as a treatment for hyperacusis as well.  The basis for this therapy is that in this disorder, no damage at all has been done to the cochlea of the ear.  The problem is only due to changes in the processing of sound.

For this reason, TRT addresses the misphoric and phonophobic components of hyperacusis.  If a sound is no longer dreaded, the theory goes, it will become less prominent.  Desensitization techniques aim to allay this problem by habituating the listener to the sounds around him or her. 

Most people are habituated to some sounds.  Take for example the striking of a clock in your living room.  You will hear it sometimes, but probably not on every hour.  This is because you get used to it, or, habituated.

Doctors’ treatments for hyperacusis have mainly been founded on the use of “pink” noise.  Pink noise is a broadband type of noise.  Unlike white noise, which has equal amplification of all frequencies, pink noise carries low frequencies at a higher volume than higher frequencies.  The type of sound in pink noise is most like in the world around us.

Doctors use sound generators to create pink noise as a treatment for hyperacusis.  These devices are made specifically for the individual and cost from $2000 to $5000 when you include all the fitting visits and readjustment visits.  The device is worn by the patient for a couple hours a day.  This helps to get them reacquainted with sound and improves their tolerance for everyday sound.  A retraining therapist is usually used in conjunction with the sound generator to help the person change his or her mental processes about hearing.

Some say that a CD with pink noise, which can be purchased for under $20, is just as useful as a sound generator.  Doctors tend to believe in their methods.  They claim that the pink noise CD’s do more harm than good because they are not adjustable to suit a particular client.

So, there are treatments for hyperacusis.  TRT, desensitization techniques, sound generators and even pink noise CD’s are available.  It is just a matter of finding a procedure that works.