LASER HEALS INNER EAR DAMAGE

There is increasing use of laser for the treatment of many hearing disorders, especially ringing in the ears, called tinnitus. The cochlear hair cells in the ear are the sensory receptors of the auditory system. It is well established that antibiotic drugs can damage hair cells and cause hearing loss. Although many studies have indicated a positive effect of laser therapy on neural cell survival, there has been no study on the effects of laser therapy on cochlear hair cells. The study clearly showed that the number of hair cells was significantly larger in the laser treated group. This is the first study in the literature that has demonstrated the beneficial effect of laser therapy on the recovery of cochlear hair cells and should help us understand how we can prevent some of the harmful side effects of antibiotic treatment.

Lasers Med Sci. 2011 Dec 4.Effect of low-level laser therapy on cochlear hair cell recovery after gentamicin-induced ototoxicity. Rhee CK, et. Al.