Introduction
It has been almost a year since I started writing this text, but I didn't finish it then. Now I'm writing it again because the draft was lost. The primary reason is that I do not think there are many personal stories, especially successful ones, about LLLT. At least, that was the case a year and a half ago when I started treatment.
I developed tinnitus sometime between the spring and summer of 2015. (Maybe one day I will write a short history about it because I think it is also an interesting story.) I found out about laser therapy very soon after, but I was not ready to try it. One reason must have been that my tinnitus was mild initially. A few months later, due to some events, my tinnitus worsened. At that time, I started thinking more seriously about LLLT but decided to consult a specialist first. In the summer of 2016, I underwent new tests. The results were good (in terms of my hearing), but the OAE showed that I had a lower intensity of response starting at 6 kHz and still present at 8 kHz. The doctor said I could try LLLT but did not guarantee any success.
Finally, in the autumn of 2016, I started LLLT at a local private company. This company, which I prefer not to name, specializes in making hearing aids. They also create custom earplugs and began offering LLLT a few years ago. It's important to mention that they use the Konftec laser, model emLas-520 C.
1st and 2nd Treatment
The previous paragraph serves as an introduction. Now, I'm starting to write about the actual protocol.
The treatment consisted of 10 sessions (5 per week), each lasting 20 minutes. At the end of the first week, I noticed some changes in my tinnitus, mainly a higher frequency, which greatly scared me. All of a sudden, I was again profoundly aware of my existential crisis caused by tinnitus. I considered quitting the therapy but convinced myself to continue, as LLLT cannot damage the cochlea, according to all the scientific papers I have read. I continued the treatment into the next week, hoping my tinnitus would return to its previous state. However, no other changes occurred during the next five sessions, and my tinnitus remained the same, albeit at a slightly higher frequency. I waited to see if there would be any changes after the treatment, but I observed none. In conclusion, I couldn't be happy with my first treatment.
Despite this, after finishing my winter exams a few months later, I decided to try another treatment. I still had some hopes for success. The protocol remained the same. Only a few days into the treatment, I noticed some positive changes. My tinnitus got quieter and started to resemble the very mild tinnitus I had in the summer of 2015. Now, I was eager to see how much more it could improve. I didn't notice any major changes during the rest of the treatment. Still, the most important outcome was that my tinnitus significantly diminished during that second treatment and remained the same in the following months. I could end my story here, as I would have done if I had written it a year ago as planned, but I want to recount what happened later because it wasn't my last LLLT.
Aftermath
A few months later, encouraged by the results of the second treatment, I decided to continue with LLLT, hoping to get rid of tinnitus completely. (Now I'm glad I haven't succeeded in that.) This time, I decided to buy my own device. It would save me money in the long term and offer the convenience of not traveling for treatment. So, I bought a Konftec laser, the same model I used in the first two treatments. (As I write this, my mind recalls some incidents that happened, but I won't write about them here.) I think I did two more treatments with my personal device. There were some minor improvements, but the biggest improvement happened during the second treatment. I still have tinnitus, but it doesn't bother me much. On a scale from 1 to 10, I would rate my tinnitus at 1 (at its worst, it was at 4). I can even read and study without needing sounds to mask my tinnitus. I also had a new OAE test a few months ago, and the results were better than the first time.
Conclusion
It is quite obvious that I cannot deliver scientific conclusions based on my personal story. Still, I can draw some abstract theses from my own case in accordance with some experiences I have read about LLLT. First of all, LLLT is not a scam; it is a serious experimental method for treating tinnitus and perhaps some other symptoms. LLLT can diminish tinnitus. However, it isn't a completely reliable method because it depends on many factors. It is certainly not a cure for tinnitus. According to some scientific research, low laser light can help repair the damaged cochlea but almost certainly cannot regenerate it. It's important to distinguish between these two processes. Because I don't want to promote any particular view, I will say that, according to my own personal experience, LLLT may help young people with mild tinnitus. I hope my text will benefit other members of this forum and those who read it.
It has been almost a year since I started writing this text, but I didn't finish it then. Now I'm writing it again because the draft was lost. The primary reason is that I do not think there are many personal stories, especially successful ones, about LLLT. At least, that was the case a year and a half ago when I started treatment.
I developed tinnitus sometime between the spring and summer of 2015. (Maybe one day I will write a short history about it because I think it is also an interesting story.) I found out about laser therapy very soon after, but I was not ready to try it. One reason must have been that my tinnitus was mild initially. A few months later, due to some events, my tinnitus worsened. At that time, I started thinking more seriously about LLLT but decided to consult a specialist first. In the summer of 2016, I underwent new tests. The results were good (in terms of my hearing), but the OAE showed that I had a lower intensity of response starting at 6 kHz and still present at 8 kHz. The doctor said I could try LLLT but did not guarantee any success.
Finally, in the autumn of 2016, I started LLLT at a local private company. This company, which I prefer not to name, specializes in making hearing aids. They also create custom earplugs and began offering LLLT a few years ago. It's important to mention that they use the Konftec laser, model emLas-520 C.
1st and 2nd Treatment
The previous paragraph serves as an introduction. Now, I'm starting to write about the actual protocol.
The treatment consisted of 10 sessions (5 per week), each lasting 20 minutes. At the end of the first week, I noticed some changes in my tinnitus, mainly a higher frequency, which greatly scared me. All of a sudden, I was again profoundly aware of my existential crisis caused by tinnitus. I considered quitting the therapy but convinced myself to continue, as LLLT cannot damage the cochlea, according to all the scientific papers I have read. I continued the treatment into the next week, hoping my tinnitus would return to its previous state. However, no other changes occurred during the next five sessions, and my tinnitus remained the same, albeit at a slightly higher frequency. I waited to see if there would be any changes after the treatment, but I observed none. In conclusion, I couldn't be happy with my first treatment.
Despite this, after finishing my winter exams a few months later, I decided to try another treatment. I still had some hopes for success. The protocol remained the same. Only a few days into the treatment, I noticed some positive changes. My tinnitus got quieter and started to resemble the very mild tinnitus I had in the summer of 2015. Now, I was eager to see how much more it could improve. I didn't notice any major changes during the rest of the treatment. Still, the most important outcome was that my tinnitus significantly diminished during that second treatment and remained the same in the following months. I could end my story here, as I would have done if I had written it a year ago as planned, but I want to recount what happened later because it wasn't my last LLLT.
Aftermath
A few months later, encouraged by the results of the second treatment, I decided to continue with LLLT, hoping to get rid of tinnitus completely. (Now I'm glad I haven't succeeded in that.) This time, I decided to buy my own device. It would save me money in the long term and offer the convenience of not traveling for treatment. So, I bought a Konftec laser, the same model I used in the first two treatments. (As I write this, my mind recalls some incidents that happened, but I won't write about them here.) I think I did two more treatments with my personal device. There were some minor improvements, but the biggest improvement happened during the second treatment. I still have tinnitus, but it doesn't bother me much. On a scale from 1 to 10, I would rate my tinnitus at 1 (at its worst, it was at 4). I can even read and study without needing sounds to mask my tinnitus. I also had a new OAE test a few months ago, and the results were better than the first time.
Conclusion
It is quite obvious that I cannot deliver scientific conclusions based on my personal story. Still, I can draw some abstract theses from my own case in accordance with some experiences I have read about LLLT. First of all, LLLT is not a scam; it is a serious experimental method for treating tinnitus and perhaps some other symptoms. LLLT can diminish tinnitus. However, it isn't a completely reliable method because it depends on many factors. It is certainly not a cure for tinnitus. According to some scientific research, low laser light can help repair the damaged cochlea but almost certainly cannot regenerate it. It's important to distinguish between these two processes. Because I don't want to promote any particular view, I will say that, according to my own personal experience, LLLT may help young people with mild tinnitus. I hope my text will benefit other members of this forum and those who read it.
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