Tinnitus describes the condition when patients hear noises in their ears or their heads. Usually this noise is masked by environmental sounds. However when it becomes noticeable in everyday life, it can become very irritating and becomes known as “tinnitus”. The noises vary in pitch from low frequency to high frequency and maybe intermittent or permanent. Hearing words, songs or voices is not included in the definition of tinnitus. The intensity of the noises can alter with exercise, the drinking of coffee or wine and other stimuli. Children can suffer from tinnitus. When tinnitus is first noticed, it can be very worrying. Some people spend a long time looking around the house for whatever it is that must be making the noise, other people fear that they may be developing a brain tumor. It is estimated that somewhere in the order of the 30 % – 40% of the population will suffer from tinnitus at one point in their life particularly if they have a hearing loss.