Ringing in the ears has happened to everyone – maybe it was after a loud concert or party, or maybe during a home renovation.
The American Tinnitus Association (ATA) assists healthcare providers in serving patients who have, or are learning to cope with, tinnitus. An estimated 40-50 million people in the United States experience tinnitus, 10-12 million of these individuals have sought help for their tinnitus and 2.5 million people report their tinnitus is debilitating (AAA, 2001).
Generally, most patients will not need any medical treatment for their tinnitus. For patients who are greatly bothered by tinnitus, they may use some masking techniques such as listening to a fan or radio which would mask some of their tinnitus.
Recently an article was published in Scientific American on noisy eyeballs. Yes you read correctly, noisy eyeballs. Often times happy accidents happen in medicine or shall you serendipity in science.
A tenth of the American population suffer from an annoying chronic condition. Each case is different and affects individuals no matter what gender, race or age they are. Give up? The condition is tinnitus, and it’s a hot topic for discussion among those who live with it.
Sleep disturbances related to tinnitus are reported by about half of those with this condition. This ringing or buzzing in the ears can vary in volume, and occur continuously or intermittently.
