When Peter Atkinson first heard a faint ringing in his ears one Monday morning at work, he thought it was nothing to worry about.

But the noise refused to go away – and soon the 62-year-old business owner was barely sleeping.

Although his condition was having a significant impact on him, doctors downplayed his worries, noting that his scans showed no issues and implying he would need to get used to the persistent noise in his ears.

They labeled it as ‘just tinnitus,’ a condition that affects approximately 1.5 million people in the UK with severe symptoms that interrupt their everyday living. Apart from ringing, sufferers may experience buzzing, hissing, whistling, humming, or even the illusion of distant voices. These sounds might vary in pitch, appear intermittently, or persist continuously.

For Peter, the noise in his right ear grew worse, triggering anxiety and depression.

‘I was on a downward spiral,’ he says. ‘I was in a bad place, having some really dark thoughts that scared me. I knew I had to look for help.’

This was when he came across OTO, an app specifically developed for those enduring tinnitus. He participated in a trial through the University of Cambridge that evaluated the app against standard therapy, with findings anticipated in the next few weeks.

Now, Peter, from Barnsley, has learned to manage his condition thanks to OTO’s personalised guided help plan.

Peter Atkinson, from Barnsley, has learned to manage his condition thanks to OTO’s personalised guided help plan

‘The app has given me a way of coping with my condition,’ he says. ‘I can better operate on a day-to-day basis now without the tinnitus taking over.’

Experts state that this groundbreaking app, which aided Peter, might soon be offered through the NHS to assist one in seven UK adults, equating to nearly 8 million people, who deal with some level of tinnitus.

Dr. Edmund Farr, the creator of the app, notes, ‘The goal post-trial is for all patients to access OTO free of charge when they need it. Accessing tinnitus treatment is notoriously challenging, and our app is poised to address that issue.’

The app functions by developing a custom self-help plan based on the survey answers from its users. Users dedicate merely ten minutes daily to guided audio sessions involving meditation, breathing exercises, sound tuning, or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). These are structured to alter the brain’s perception of the noise, making it less perceptible over time.

The company says 90 per cent of users report a reduction in symptoms over a three-month course.

Last year, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust announced it would begin referring tinnitus patients to OTO, which they could use for free.

However, anyone can download the app, at a cost of £36 a month.

Experts say the technology could help relieve pressure on face-to-face CBT services, where long waits often prevent people from receiving timely treatment.

Research from Leeds Trinity University found that only 8 per cent of people who visit their GP suffering from tinnitus are referred for CBT.

‘There is a real problem in the NHS with patients who see their GP being referred on to psychological services,’ says Dr James Jackson, a psychologist and tinnitus researcher at the university, who has helped develop a similar app called MindEar.

‘We have a postcode lottery in access to care, but utilising accredited smartphone apps that provide an introduction to therapy could help patients, particularly while they are waiting for appointments with a specialist.

‘Tinnitus is, for many, a condition that comes and goes throughout the day, so having an option for instant relief that is able to calm anxiety when you are woken up at 3am is incredibly important – and until now, not something that we had available.’ 

Dr Jackson says that the gold standard for tinnitus treatment is CBT delivered by a tinnitus or audiology specialist – but he estimates that there are only a handful across the country trained to provide this.

An app, he says, can help bridge the gap in education and self-help resources, with many audiologists already recommending OTO to their patients.

‘While there is no replacement for face-to-face therapy, this is a really exciting and useful tool for patients,’ says Sue Falkingham, a Yorkshire-based audiologist.

‘It can be difficult to find CBT designed specifically for tinnitus patients, but this app does that.’

She adds: ‘When patients are dismissed by their GP – which they so often are – they go hunting online for cures that don’t exist. What this does is collate accredited advice in one place.’