What we are doing about it
In our view tinnitus is not taken seriously enough. Not enough information is available for medical professionals or for sufferers for that matter. Co-ordinated and sustained research into the causes and treatments of tinnitus is lacking.
There is a need in the market for factual, useful and practical information. Action for Tinnitus Research is one of the few organisations that is taking tinnitus seriously and is doing something about it.
Our aim is to not only raise awareness, but to also provide health care professionals with advice and information, and to fund leading-edge research.
Planned approach to research
It is clear to the trustees that the aim of research should be to bring effective and safe therapies for tinnitus sufferers. We believe that the hard work needed to realize this goal should take place in a deliberate, planned and cost effective way.
A proposed plan of long-term research will take place in a number of stages:
Stage 1: Identifying drugs for use in treating tinnitus
This involves the careful consideration of medicines already used for treating conditions in the rest of nervous system, especially conditions that are thought to be like certain types of tinnitus such as epilepsy or chronic pain.
Stage 2: Developing new ways of measuring how the ear and brain may be generating tinnitus
Powerful new medical techniques can be used to measure certain types of tinnitus in the human brain to see if drugs identified in Stage 1 can reduce or 'quench' these types of tinnitus.
Stage 3: Early small scale trials for tinnitolytic drugs
The next stage would involve careful selection of patients who are likely to have tinnitus of a similar kind who would be invited to take part in clinical testing.
Stage 4: Longer term larger scale trials for tinnitolytic drugs
Once a drug from the earlier study showed promise and proved to be safe, it would then be used in larger groups of tinnitus patients and tested to assess its suitability for longer-term use.
We have made huge strides forward in research, and thanks to our supporters and friends have been able to continue funding leading-edge research.
