Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) for Tinnitus — Long-Lasting Everyday Home-Practiced Experiences

There are literally only a handful of people here who say they have benefited, and it's impossible to differentiate their experience from natural recovery. There are probably an equal amount of people here who say it worsened them.

I can tell you it seemed to make my tinnitus and hyperacusis worse each time I tried it, although temporarily, as though it were an acoustic insult each time.

 

Unfortunately a scientific answer is hard to give. The earlier the better is certainly better... An educated guess might be that changes in the first 3 month are significant. And that laser therapy is worth trying.
After that period till 1 year you are lucky to get a result... (or 2 years when you are very lucky).

In the thread I read that somebody expected success within 15 treatments of 30 minutes... With a home treatment system like the Konftec devices (50-90mW) you have to treat much more intensely. E.g. every day 45 minutes during 3 month. Make it a routine.

Good luck!

 

I tried LLLT for two weeks with TinniTool and there was no result. My eardrum ached in the first two days which was concerning at the time but that was ok. I tried the treatment in a 1 month window after I got my tinnitus.

 

Your profile says you've had tinnitus since 2019. Was it the 100 mW newer TinniTool or the older 5 mW one? Also what was the duration of the treatment, I mean how many minutes per day?

2 weeks is way too short to know if it's working at all. Konftec offers a 90 day money back guarantee with their devices. I think 3 months is a good time to see if it does anything or not, but I think the major potential benefits take even longer.

 

I used the older version, and I used it for 15 or 30 minutes twice a day (once morning and once night) if I remember correctly. To be honest, when I look at the science behind it, it wouldn’t even make sense for it to work, but I am not an expert. In the beginning I was so desperate and would try anything. For now I am just patiently waiting for FX-322.

 

I have the three lasers, batteries and a case for the Konftec EM-520 LLLT device. I lost the controller with LCD display that powers the lasers. I used it for about two weeks a couple of years ago until I lost the controller.

I will send it free of charge to whoever wants it. Just give me $20 for shipping.

 

Did anybody take you up on your offer yet? My laser seems to be working fine, though it'd be nice to have spare parts. Mostly I'm interested in the rubber tips, I'm running out of them soon.

Also, this is for you and anybody who has the same issue (losing a piece of the equipment) or if one of the parts is malfunctioning after the Konftec warranty phase. You can buy all the parts from Konftec website separately, here's a link for the controller and some other things, the laser probes separately are on a different link:

http://www.konftec.com/order/HTML/order-acc-2.htm

You might just want to buy the controller and then sell the entire thing, or sell for bigger money for somebody who's willing to buy from you and then he'll buy the controller himself from Konftec if you don't want to invest more into this thing. Up to you.

 

Thank you kindly for this advice. I think I'll buy the part. I didn't notice any link to that when browsing. I appreciate your help.

 

Has there been any effort to determine a possible relationship between etiology of the tinnitus and the effectiveness of LLLT? My understanding based on what I've read is the LLLT worked because it helps the tiny hairs inside the ear grow back. Since tinnitus can have a variety of causes from the side effect of a medication to acute sound trauma I imagine not every cause of tinnitus has damaged those hairs and thus attempting to aid their regrowth will not be helpful in every case.

I think in addition to posting whether LLLT was helpful people should also post their etiology (what caused their tinnitus). I suspect we'd see a correlation, and it would be helpful for folks trying to decide whether to drop the dough or not (such as myself).

 

I don't actually think it helps the hair cells grow back - this is just my own speculation but I did LLLT for months both with lasers and with a less invasive but high powered red LED, and it consistently spiked me, and I tried many many times under controlled conditions - to me that can best be surmised as exciting whatever receptors were in there; if I had to guess it stimulates nerves somehow and helps normalize them for some, while for others it can just be an irritant. I suspect light can act as a signalling mechanism for something not still receiving input from hair cells, or that it can catalyze certain signalling pathways.

There has never been any evidence whatsoever, to my knowledge, that hair cells have been regrown in vivo by light, in a human being.

 

I think you're interpreting my comment more like LLLT is to hair cells what sunlight is to plants, which is not my understanding of how LLLT works, but I can see how it came across that way.

In any case, the mechanism is not the root of my question. The root of my question is: is there a correlation between the cause of an individual's tinnitus and whether LLLT is an effective treatment? And, suspecting the answer is yes, has anyone gathered the data so we can know before we drop $800 on LLLT whether our individual cause of tinnitus is likely to be helped?

 

There is no data on how it affects a subset of conditions because there is no data even barring subsets. There simply is no data. Not tryna be an a-hole, but there isn't any data on humans.

 

LLLT has been studied for musculoskelatal pain and many other conditions and the mechanism of action is somewhat understood insofar as it accelerates healing, reduces pain and reduces inflammation. So it's reasonable to say that the etiology of hearing loss or tinnitus is not important. There is the hearing nerve, the brain, the cochlea and the ear drum and hearing bones. If they are damaged and the type of tissue can be stimulated with lasers they might heal faster or better. If you got tinnitus from an antidepressant, my hunch would be an inflammatory ear tissue response to the drug. Just a guess.

Laser biostimulation of healing wounds: specific effects and mechanisms of action

 

I have no interest in ad hominem, but the statement "there isn't any data on humans" is objectively false. A quick scan through this thread would have netted you the following studies on humans:

Clinical Studies- The Role of LLLT in Treatment of Tinnitus

A preliminary study on the efficacy and safety of low level light therapy in the management of cochlear tinnitus: A single blind randomized clinical trial

The effect of low-level laser therapy on hearing

Transmeatal low-level laser therapy for chronic tinnitus with cochlear dysfunction

Effectiveness of transmeatal low power laser irradiation for chronic tinnitus

Transmeatal low-power laser irradiation for tinnitus

...and a search on scholar.google.com for "laser therapy tinnitus patients" nets 9500 results:

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0,50&q=laser+therapy+tinnitus+patient&btnG=

(this assumes the word "patients" will filter out all the non-human studies, which it won't, but I am willing to bet that at least a few of the 9500 results are studies done on humans)

Please set aside your motivated reasoning and let's have an objective discussion about this.

This is sort of like saying "we know Tums cures upset stomach, so it doesn't matter why you have upset stomach, Tums will cure it." Yet if it's food poisoning, Tums obviously won't fix it.

Though in addition to stating "the etiology is not important" you also said LLLT "reduces inflammation" and your hunch is that tinnitus arising after an antidepressant is caused by inflammation, so in some ways you are arguing both sides (that the etiology isn't important, and that for a particular etiology (inflammation) it will be effective).

In any case, LLLT has been reported to work for some people and not for others (both in this forum and in the various studies I linked above), so how would you explain the difference? And if someone came to you saying, "I need to decide—yes or no—whether to drop $800 on a laser. Will it work for me, yes or no?" how would you decide how to respond and how would you substantiate your response?

 

You're right, I stand corrected.

I would note that the majority of these articles, at least those linked, state inconclusive results, or show no improvement. Therefore as to the original question of whether there has been analysis as to specific etiologies, you would be limited to the subset, or minority, which show efficacy. I am not aware of any analysis, but logically the relevant etiologies would only be those stemming from tissues which light can reach i.e. the ear and immediate sub-surface tissues.

 

Hi guys, this is my first post and my unofficial introduction. I just got the Konftec 660nm and 808nm lasers to treat my high pitched tinnitus from acoustic trauma over the years as a musician, and also specifically an incident two weeks ago that worsened my ringing (seems to be naturally calming back down now however).

I'll write to this thread my experience and results in coming months, or half a year or so. I'm also doing a bunch of other things to treat my tinnitus that seem to already be having a gradual positive effect. Hopefully I'll be writing a success story in due time

 

@Ollie_A, looking forward to hearing your experiences!

What other things are you using alongside the Konftec?

 

I'll do my first impressions right now. I'm only using the 660 (visible light) thing for 30 minutes a day now. I worked up to that, I started with just 10 minutes split in half and monitoring how my ears and tinnitus responds to it.

I agree with some who said that it seems to spike the tinnitus a bit, so I tried to be careful, but the spiking was not intense and could be just my regular ups and downs too. It is certainly within those boundaries and also as I'm writing this right now, my tinnitus is at my baseline, no spikes, so nothing permanent it seems despite using the laser now 30 minutes a day.

First times using it though it created some funny sensation in my inner ear, subtle but it was there. After few days of use my ears seem to not respond anymore. So I feel safe about using this long term now and will see if something positive happens within next months or so.

My initial thoughts about laser therapy for tinnitus: I am a believer in red light therapy in many use cases, but whether it works for tinnitus or not is the question. I believe in many cases it wont, but in some cases (as reported here by some users) it indeed has helped some. After all, it is energy transmitted by certain frequency of light that is supposed to invoke a natural healing process on a cellular level even when the body naturally would not do it. However, it is not hard to imagine that this transmitted energy could just as well irritate the damaged ear in some people, making the tinnitus more active. This is just speculation, but would explain some negative experiences some have had. I already believe that in therapy like this one needs to be their own doctor and monitor the results and make their own judgement weighting the risks and possible benefits. The manufacturers of these devices and the ones offering one-time sessions with even more powerful light devices will only speak roses about these treatments.

I also find the chart on Konftec website about the different wavelengths of light targeting different parts of inner ear and different frequencies of tinnitus just stupid. Of all the research I've seen about red light therapy for ears and tinnitus, nothing suggests anything to back up that chart. Correct me if I'm wrong about this though, but I think they pulled that chart out of their rear end.

Regular Joe, other things I'm doing are:
- Completely dropped sugar from my diet.
- Low carbs, high protein and (good quality) fats in my diet. Lots of clean fresh food and veggies, no meats other than fish and sometimes chicken.
- Exercising and losing excess fat.
- Meditate and yoga daily.
- Intermittent fasting. For me this means I have a long gap between meals, about 14 hours (from evening to next morning meal). This helps digestive system clear itself up and supports good bacteria in gut.
- Digesting some herbs and stuff, you guys must be familiar with these already. Turmeric, Neem, Hemp powders, Ginkgo biloba, bunch of vitamins, Zinc, Omegas and all the basic essential stuff.

So basically I'm going through a process of transforming my state of health and fitness. For me the dropping of sugar and losing excess fat (still going through it) and getting back in shape has helped more than anything so far. Or at least those together with yoga and meditation. I meditate in silence, no earphones, no ambient music, no maskers, no nothing. A silent room as silent as I can have it and there we go. I don't want to run away from a sound in my head or ears, to me that is just futile and I feel like I gain nothing from masking it or whatever. And weirdly enough, many many times the physical noise calms down during meditation, not only my perception of it but the noise actually calms down in that state. I know not everyone gets to have this kind of relief with their tinnitus, and for me it varies day by day, but still... I highly recommend a regular meditation practice. It takes time getting into meditation, but a big part of it for me is that I judge nothing, runaway from nothing, let everything be right there, the ringing, be it better or worse, also my fears and thoughts about it, all let it be there, just completely "naked" with the tinnitus, no masking no nothing. I went through an inevitable process of facing all kinds of fears and thoughts and turmoil I had about the tinnitus. Anger, disappointment, frustration, fear, rebelling against it, desperation, all the things. Am I never going to hear silence again? Am I going to enjoy a normal life again, the way I knew it before? Will I know peace and silence only in grave? Will my life be hijacked by this sound till the day I die? Many of you might relate with these thoughts. These thoughts were inevitable to come to surface, and I don't see any reason to run away from or deny such natural thoughts, feelings and responses. Overtime an acceptance starts to take over and a feeling of presence, calmness, stillness. And when one slowly calms down into a deeper state of wakeful stillness and acceptance, the sound or sounds that are there seem to just settle into the background.

Also I do a daily massage routine around the ears and stuff, takes like 5 minutes for me. Just things I collected from a bunch of YouTube videos, all that stuff that rarely works for anybody But it does couple of things for sure: It enhances blood circulation into the area and drains extra fluids and mucus from the passages (whatever they're called...). Even the debated effect of Ginkgo biloba is said to come from enhancing blood flow to the head area. So a massage can't hurt. Also just going through the massage sometimes creates a feeling of relief, even if the physical noise doesn't come down. I don't know why, but it happens repeatedly. Like the noise seems a bit friendlier after a bit of massage. Lol might be just me, but hey whatever works.

Right now I feel like I'm heading to a good direction, much of the tinnitus has calmed down from last fall and winter and even from a recent loud noise incident. That was when I played an acoustic home gig and didn't take ear protection as these types of gigs almost never need it. Also hadn't gigged for a while because of COVID-19 so it slipped... And the people were a loud lot, screaming for two hours. I was terrified to go back home and hear the doubled up tinnitus.

Now I'm pretty much back to baseline before that incident I feel. Thankful for that. I hope things keep going well as they have till now, and there are still many things to try if I feel the need later on.

Hope I didn't hijack this thread! I was planning to write all these things and more on some other post, hopefully a success story later on

 

Great post. Thanks. Red meat is very healthy and would have been the most abundant source of animal nutrition in the evolutionary environment. The modern advice to eat chicken is pretty peculiar if you think about it. A chicken is basically a modern invention designed to grow a food cheaply and quickly. Wild chickens would have been few and a silly thing to hunt or farm 100,000 years ago. A mammoth is 200 times larger and just as abundant. Red meat is the healthiest food there is.

 

Can't any old red laser pointer work?
This sounds a bit ridiculous but at least it's safer than HBO.

 

You may very well be right about that, I don't know. I should have actually made clear that I don't think not eating meat has effect on my tinnitus. I used to be a vegetarian, also vegan at one point, and I'm still leaning towards that side for non-tinnitus-related reasons. I'm leaning on a yogic lifestyle and it has been natural for me to be meat free.

But for balance, I've reintroduced fish and chicken as they are lighter meats, red meats are very heavy for the system, at least for me. But yeah, I don't think it matters for tinnitus as long as one is keeping healthy with whatever works for them. I do believe that watching sugar in diet, insulin levels and accumulation of fat in the body and overall digestive track and gut health are culprits for our health and I feel tinnitus is certainly affected by these factors, even when the tinnitus is noise-induced like mine.

 

I have a question for those who use Konftec laser.

How do you know the beam is directed towards the cochlea?

For me the earplugs tend to tilt forward (the beam pointing bit towards the back of the head). I have cut the base of the things to make the beam wider, but I'm still wondering, how do you know you are directing it right?

All our ears are different, and also I have no idea if cochlea is "dead center" inward from the ear or bit forward or backward etc.

 

I would also love to know that. I've been using Konftec for over a year. I don't think it did anything. I often wonder where the light points to. I bet it's everywhere else but cochlea.

 

I use one of these held right up against my face - even more powerful and can't miss. Nothing for me.

https://redlightman.com/product/red-infrared-combo-mini/

 

Bit of update: I think the Konftec is definitely hitting some spot in my ear. A 10 minute treatment with the 808 nm laser made noticeable change in tinnitus during the treatment. My typical sizzle and hiss actually became a bit more quiet for some time (returned to baseline soon after), and after the treatment for a short while a new high-pitch sound emerged in my left ear for few seconds and then faded away. Also had a subtle physical sensation in the ear after the treatment.

The 660 nm light on the other hand doesn't give any noticeable change or irritations, positive or negative, during treatment or immediately after. No other physical sensations either with the treatment, except the heat from the light bulb on my ear.

Maybe the 808 nm light penetrates deeper than visible light?

 

I've tried the Konftec 808 and 660 every other day for 4 months as "prescribed", but unfortunately without the results I was hoping for. Acoustic trauma tinnitus in both ears, for many years but a really annoying volume only since February 2021.

The laser is in perfect shape still, and I'm selling it for cheaper if anyone is interested.

-Kristian

 

Just got the 660 in the mail. Will try it out and see if it gives improvement. Will update.

 

Hi @Bennl, anything to report? I've been on the solutions-search treadmill for the past few weeks on behalf of a friend (whose first language is not English) who developed hyperacusis symptoms about two months ago.

I feel like I've read everything that there is to read on the topic, but am no nearer to any kind of an answer. My friend lives in a small Eastern European country and has had a terrible time finding anyone who has ever heard of the condition, or has any idea how to deal with it (for example, it's been a fruitless task to find anyone offering TRT). My friend has tried supplementation, dietary changes, and so forth, but is getting worse not better.

So far, the only option with any sort of promise appears to be Silverstein's surgery, but the costs involved are vastly out of reach. At least a laser option might be attainable. But the evidence for the efficacy of this method of treatment appears to be dubious at best. Yet the more personal testimony I gather about peoples' experiences of using it, the better.

 

Question for the people who use LLLT to deal with their hyperacusis: Do you stop the laser session if you start to feel a burning sensation? How do you decide which laser protocol you want to use? How do you know if lasering helps with the hyperacusis or not?

@AMe, does your friend have pain hyperacusis or loudness hyperacusis? Does he use adequate hearing protection?

 

@StoneInFocus, what device do you use? How long do you use it for?

I tried a handheld device and I didn't feel anything.