Effectiveness of transmeatal low power laser irradiation for chronic tinnitus.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate effectiveness of 5 mW laser irradiation in the treatment of chronic tinnitus. STUDY DESIGN Prospective, randomised, double-blind study. METHODS This investigation included 66 ears in 45 patients with chronic unilateral or bilateral tinnitus. A 5 mW laser with a wavelength of 650 nm, or placebo laser, was applied transmeatally for 15 minutes, once daily for a week. A questionnaire was administered which asked patients to score their symptoms on a five-point scale, before and two weeks after laser irradiation. A decrease of one scale point, regarding the loudness, duration and degree of annoyance of tinnitus, was accepted to represent an improvement. RESULTS The loudness, duration and degree of annoyance of tinnitus were improved, respectively, in up to 48.8, 57.7 and 55.5 per cent of the patients in the active laser group. No significant improvement was observed in the placebo laser group. CONCLUSION Transmeatal, low power (5 mW) laser irradiation was found to be useful for the treatment of chronic tinnitus.