Can My Tinnitus / Visual Snow Go Away? How Promising Is Current Research?

Hi. I'm 15, from Germany. I have had tinnitus / visual snow since I was 4-5 years old I believe.

I recently visited my ENT. He administered a hearing test. Everything was ok. He said my tinnitus will go away on its own.

I'm very anxious that I need to live with this forever, because I had some memories where I didn't have tinnitus and enjoyed silence. I just want silence back.

I was never exposed to loud noise / headsets / concerts etc.

What do you guys think? Will I ever hear silence again?

How promising is research like OTO-313 / OTO-413, DBS, Neuralink? Could they help both tinnitus and visual snow since I've read both are caused by hyperactive neurons?

Regards,
Tasty

 

Hello Tasty,

I'm very sorry to hear that you've been suffering from tinnitus for so long and at such a young age.

As for your ENT's prediction, I have to say I'm shocked that a professional would tell a tinnitus sufferer of 10+ years that their tinnitus will eventually go away by itself. Maybe they were trying to be optimistic and motivating because your still so very young but it still feels dismissive to me.

You know that you're entitled to get a second, third, ... opinion, right? Have a look around Jameda and check if there is an ENT who also is a tinnitus specialist and who has been given plenty of positive reviews listed in your area. An even if the ENT is a little bit further away, talk to your parents and have them take you there, because I'm convinced that no tinnitus specialist will ever send their patients off with a pat on the back and the advise to just keep their fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Lass dich nicht unterkriegen!
LG, Leila