Tinnitus. Worrying?
Tinnitus or tinnitus is just the sensation of sound that you hear, but which is not there. Often described as a murmur, squeak, hum, chirp or whine. Tinnitus can be permanent or temporary and vary in intensity.
Tinnitus is one of the most common hearing disorders affecting 10-15% of the world’s population. Although tinnitus does not cause hearing loss, it can severely affect your ability to concentrate, cause stress and sleep problems. To get rid of this unpleasant consequence, it is important to discover the causes and discuss them with your hearing care professional so that he or she can help you deal with tinnitus.
Causes of tinnitus:
- Ageing processes – hearing loss in old age.
- Prolonged exposure to loud noises such as music, guns, construction noise.
- Head and neck injuries.
- Neurological disorders.
- Side effects of medicines.
Hearing loss and tinnitus
More than 80% of tinnitus sufferers also have a hearing loss. The most common reason for this is prolonged exposure to noisy environments. High levels of noise over a long period of time damage certain hearing cells in the cochlea, which can no longer transmit signals to the brain. The brain then creates a new sound, which we hear as tinnitus.
Do you experience persistent or sudden onset tinnitus?
Don’t delay and make an appointment at your nearest Optics World vision and hearing centre.
Frequently asked questions
Does tinnitus cause hearing loss?
The sensation of tinnitus does not cause hearing loss, but it has a negative effect on attention, as the perceived sounds can be very distracting and interfere with focusing on the important sounds.
Are there medicines for tinnitus?
Tinnitus is not a disease, but a symptom caused by a variety of reasons, so there is no cure for tinnitus, but the use of hearing aids can alleviate symptoms.
How to prevent tinnitus?
The most common cause of tinnitus is prolonged exposure to loud noises. To protect your hearing, avoid loud noises or use noise cancelling earplugs.
How does tinnitus affect people?
Some people may ignore tinnitus, while for others, the symptoms are caused by stress, sleep disturbances, nervousness, depression
