28-04-2025
Irish-developed device to treat tinnitus ‘significantly' reduces symptoms, clinical trial finds
'Many people experience short-term, or transient, tinnitus, after loud noise exposure at a concert or work,' said Dr Ross O'Neill – who received his PhD from Maynooth University - the inventor of the Lenire device.
A US clinical trial of Lenire, involving 220 patients at the Alaska Hearing & Tinnitus Center, reported in Nature Communications Medicine found that 91pc of patients involved had a 'clinically significant' reduction in their tinnitus after 12 weeks of treatment with Lenire.
Most commonly, tinnitus is caused by ageing, exposure to loud noise at concerts or working in potentially noisy occupations like construction.
It can also affect people in quieter roles such as software developers because people in these less noisy environments can have an increased perception of tinnitus.
In the most severe cases, tinnitus can lead to depression, anxiety and social isolation and in the most extreme cases, and even result in self-harm ideation.
Up to now, few proven treatment options existed for tinnitus. 'Typically patients would be told to practice cognitive behavioural therapy, to mask the tinnitus noise with a noise machine or wear a hearing aid as improved hearing may help a person reduce their perception of tinnitus,' said Dr O'Neill.
The Lenire device works by combining audio stimulation and mild electrical stimulation to the surface of the tongue. This is done in order to reduce the brain's perception of tinnitus, sometimes described as 'ringing in the ears'.
This technique, which is known as bimodal neuromodulation, involves the simultaneous stimulation of two nerves for therapeutic purposes.
Lenire plays audio tones to the patient via headphones while delivering mild energy pulses to the surface of the tongue to treat tinnitus.
Meanwhile, the results of the US trial, said Dr O'Neill, demonstrate that Lenire can be an effective treatment for 'real world' patients that have tinnitus.
The Lenire device is available in five Irish clinics, based in Dublin, Cork and Kildare, and treatment costs between €3,400 - €3,800 depending on the clinic.
A spokesperson for Neuromod Devices, the Dublin-based company behind the device, said that the price includes a tinnitus assessment, fitting of the device and multiple check-ups throughout treatment.
'Audiology appointment costs can be subsidised depending on the insurance plan,' he said, adding 'Lenire is not yet covered by insurance.'
Under the care of an audiologist, patients typically use Lenire at home for two 30-minute sessions daily for an average of 12 weeks.
