Pioneering tinnitus treatment arrives in HSMA

A pioneering treatment that uses the power of the brain during sleep to treat tinnitus, a condition which affects 10 per cent of the population, is to be made available in the UK for the first time.

The Levo System for tinnitus therapy uses iPod technology to deliver a personalised tinnitus sound straight to the brain while the patient sleeps. The brain learns to ignore the hissing or buzzing associated with this debilitating and often stressful condition and, over time, the patient notices the tinnitus less during the day.

The sound-based therapy, which sees an iPod being approved for use as a medical device for the first time, has already been providing relief for tinnitus sufferers in the USA since 2014. Now, it is available exclusively at the Tinnitus Clinic.

Faster relief than ever
Mark Williams, chief audiologist at The Tinnitus Clinic, based on Harley Street, said: “Levo has been specifically designed to be used during sleep when our brains are more likely to be responsive to and influenced by sound therapies. It’s an innovative approach which has been demonstrated to provide relief from tinnitus symptoms faster than ever before.

“During the assessment we identify and map the patient’s specific tinnitus sound, and then the Levo System creates a prescriptive ‘sound match’, which is presented to the patient via an iPod device while they sleep. This stimulates the hearing centre of the brain to help it get used to the tinnitus sound and so reduces the volume and annoyance of the signal.

He adds: “As the leading provider of evidence-based tinnitus treatments in the UK we are very excited to be introducing this pioneering product. “Levo is one of an armoury of products we can offer and it widens the treatments available to include hard-to-treat atonal tinnitus, mixed tinnitus and very high frequency tinnitus. We expect it to be popular with a number of people such as younger people who might not want to be seen wearing hearing adaptations during the day, those who prefer nocturnal treatments, those who have trouble sleeping and tinnitus sufferers who have exhausted other more traditional treatments.”

Lives are impacted
According to The British Tinnitus Association, six million people in the UK are affected by the condition. Dr Lorraine Gailey, chief executive of Hearing Link, says: “We welcome the announcement that Levo is to be made available to people living with tinnitus for the first time across the UK. This pioneering treatment from The Tinnitus Clinic offers another opportunity for millions of people, whose lives are impacted by tinnitus symptoms every day, to find relief from the condition.”

ENT consultant surgeon Nitesh Patel says: “People aged 18 and over who have primary tinnitus, and sufficient hearing to be able to hear the sounds produced by Levo while not wearing their aid at night are most likely to be suitable for this product. The Tinnitus Clinic is always at the forefront of new and innovative treatments for tinnitus and I hope this latest product can help bring relief from the symptoms to people across the UK.”