Ringing in my ears is driving me crazy, and nothing I’ve tried has worked. I read that laser therapy is a newer treatment for tinnitus. Might it actually help?
It’s promising, perhaps, but not ready for prime time. Up to 15 percent of adults globally—and about one in four older people—experience this constant ringing, buzzing, humming, or hissing noise in their ears. For some people, the sound is merely annoying, but for others, it’s debilitating enough to harm their quality of life and cause anxiety and depression.
Two major risk factors for tinnitus—the perception of sound when no external source is present—are hearing loss (according to a 2024 analysis, about 60 percent of people with this condition have at least some degree of hearing loss) and exposure to loud noise. Both involve damage to the hair cells and other structures of the inner ear that help convert vibrations into electrical signals that the brain interprets as sound. Other causes include earwax buildup, an ear infection, or damage to the inner ear from medications such as certain chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, and diuretics.
The typical treatment is to either mask the sound with a sound generator or learn ways to cope with it. Many other therapies, from antihistamines to botulism toxin injections, have been tried. Yet experts still haven’t reached a consensus on which treatment is most effective. A procedure called low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is a newer approach that may relieve tinnitus, but the effects are only temporary and it’s definitely not a cure.
LLLT, also known as photobiomodulation, is a noninvasive procedure that aims red or near-infrared wavelengths of light at the inner ear, either from behind the ear or through the ear canal. Although it’s unclear how it may help, several ideas have been proposed. It may help reverse chemical imbalances that cause nerve cells in the ear to misfire; fix abnormal changes in parts of the brain that process sounds; stimulate production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP, the cells’ main energy source); clear out harmful molecules called free radicals that damage hearing; and dial down inflammation to prevent further damage to hearing structures. These actions may speed the repair of damaged cells and tissues in the inner ear.
How well does LLLT work? Research has been mixed, likely due to the small groups of people studied and the different treatment protocols used. While some studies have found improvements in tinnitus symptoms after this treatment, others have shown no changes.
In a 2025 systematic review of nine studies, published in Cureus, participants saw improvement in tinnitus symptoms after treatment, and they didn’t experience any serious side effects. However, the outcomes varied from study to study based on the wavelength of light used, the exposure time, and the specific part of the ear treated. Any improvements that did occur faded over time. Tinnitus symptoms returned three to six months later unless participants underwent additional booster LLLT sessions. The authors say more standardized and longer-term studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness and determine the best treatment approach.
The authors of another analysis of studies, published in Brain Sciences in 2020, were less optimistic about the value of LLLT in relieving tinnitus. After reviewing 11 randomized controlled studies, they found no difference in effectiveness between this treatment and a sham laser treatment. Again, differences in the laser wavelength and other aspects of treatment used in each study made it difficult for the researchers to draw firm conclusions about its effectiveness.
What to do. Although LLLT is generally safe, more study is needed before we can recommend it as a tinnitus treatment. If you have tinnitus, you should see an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist or audiologist for an exam and hearing test to determine the cause and extent of the problem. Sometimes tinnitus improves once you manage an underlying medical condition. If the condition is ongoing, your doctor may recommend that you try more established treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), masking and retraining devices, or hearing aids. While these also aren’t cures, they can help minimize the impact of tinnitus on your daily life.
