Can Deaf People Experience Tinnitus

Can deaf people experience tinnitus, and if so, how is that dealt with?

 

yes I have heard that even profoundly deaf people can have tinnitus. They have to deal in a similar way as the people who hear - by habituating. It is of course a bit harder because you can't mask it, but habituation doesn't necessarily have masking. It is important to concentrate on other things and not look for it. Also one has to realize that tinnituss is not dangerous and it is not going to hurt you.

 

Studies have shown that some patients who were so desperate that they had a "nerve section" -- severing their auditory nerve, thereby leaving them deaf -- still had the tinnitus after the surgery, even though they could no longer hear. Hence, doctors today usually will not do nerve sections for tinnitus.

 

Yes. I know a person in another group who is completely deaf and has severe tinnitus. Needless to say it is pure hell for this individual and they suffer greatly.

 

Yeah concensus is that the sound is created in the auditory sections of the brain and not the ear so being deaf can have no effect.

 

Just my layman's logic here... if a lot of tinnitus is the result of hearing loss, wouldn't deaf people be more prone to tinnitus?

 

Im not sure but I dont think so. Only about 40% of the people with hearing impairment experience tinnitus. Some people with loud tinnitus seem to have no hearing loss whereas some who have hearing loss have no tinnitus. So you see its a more complex issue.

 

Definitely a complex issue. The more I am interacting on these forums the more I start to understand that tinnitus can be caused by a variety of factors and thus there are a variety of solutions.

 

Due to an adverse reaction to gentimycin, I have been profoundly deaf since 1994/95 and have severe tinnitus at times. Medications like antidepressants and benzodiazepines help but do not cure and the tinnitus is worsened when I try to stop either of these medications. My entire head screams with noise/ringing and I have to remain entirely still and not even move my eyes or turn my head at all if I don't want to experience the ringing. Needless to say, it can be immobilizing and painfully distressing. I wish there was a cure and it can be hard to convince doctors that it is so bad so as to obtain medications. Life is awful at times!

 

How and what are your coping skills @BdG?

I imagine it can be very hard at times, and I feel your pain... Do you have Tinnitus all the time?

 

@BdG ,
It looks like this is your first post so welcome to Tinnitustalk!
I am completely deaf in one ear and I experience constant tinnitus and a burning pain in that ear, not in my head or in my healthy ear. It sounds like you are deaf in both ears and you hear the ringing in your head. Is that correct? You are saying that moving your eyes can increase your tinnitus? That is strange!
You are right. Life is awful at times, for so many people in so many ways. Have you been able to work under these circumstances? You've been dealing with this for a really long time!
Hugs to you!

 

You can quiet the ringing by staying still?

 

The tinnitus is generated in the brain and not the ear, so a deaf person can still hear tinnitus.

 

Ive had T Practically my whole life (I've only known 1 other person who had it) but I've never sought treatment or really even questioned it because every Dr always said there's nothing can be done....it didn't even occur to me there might be a forum- whole community of sufferers!
Im actually watching a film "Hush" (main character is deaf) and my ears ringing and I'm like."huh, can deaf people have tini?"....and here I am! Never heard of 'habitutating' either.

 

I am totally deaf in one ear and I have constant tinnitus in that ear. It is loud and nothing can drown it out since no other sound can be heard in that ear. It drives me crazy at times. I try not to think about it and not focus on it. But sometimes I find that difficult to do because it is so loud.

 

Pholly,
It must be! I'm so use to it being there that I ignore it. But sometimes it's maddening. I can't consintrate when all is quiet tho. Have to have some kind of noise for masking.