Can You See Your Tinnitus?

So.....I go to bed,close my eyes, and see my tinnitus. No 'illegal substances' involved !

When I shut my eyes I see white dots of varying intensity which have a 'tail' like a comet, move in erratic fashion for a very short time span, and then disappear. The initial impression is much like that of a visual field test where lights of varying degrees of brightness appear within the visual field. This lasts for about a minute I guess.

Also I have 'drops of water sizzling on a hotplate' tinnitus which I sort of feel in the head.

I'm (relatively!) sane, and don't worry myself too much about them.

I also have pulsatile tinnitus which I largely hear at night when I first go to bed.

In spite of the odd sights and sounds I fall asleep without recourse to medicines as I am used to the weird sensations.

Anyone else have the same/similar?

Fungus.

 

lots of people with tinnitus also have visual symptoms similar to what you describe -- but there are plenty of people with the visual symptoms without the noise, and vice-versa.

Like tinnitus, most healthy people will experience some very mild degree of these symptoms... people with healthy hearing can become aware of various high-and-low-pitched internals sounds if you put them into a perfectly silent room, and likewise, no one really sees a blank black slate when they are in a perfectly dark room. Our nervous systems were not designed to function normally when deprived of all input.

 

Hah, I though nobody else had that. I see those exact same things but very faintly and have always seen them when I looked up at the clear sky at dawn or dusk. I think they're just the nervous system signaling though, nothing much to do with tinnitus. Their brightness are the same or less as regular eye floaters with me, and move much faster changing direction a lot.
I wonder if other people here can find the same small comets we're talking about and if the brightness of them has anything to do with the excitation of the CNS.

Interesting stuff.

 

Cityjohn...... You are not alone! I tried looking at the sky last night (I live just off a designated 'dark sky'area)...saw nothing but the odd star (clouds around). Nice experience. The 'comets' seem to be of varying brightness to me, and move in an erratic fashion, unlike floaters which move slowly and predictably.

I have had 'physiological tinnitus' ever since I can remember if I was in a very quiet environment and a lot 'folk without tinnitus' I know have it,too.

Like lots of folk,I have the odd string of blobs and the bits if I look into the clear sky, and can remember these back to childhood. I have the 'floaters' now, too, since age has started to catch up.Having classical migraine means that 'vibrating zig zags' followed by temporary blindness are all too familiar, however, the 'wandering comets' are VERY different, and either ARE a part of, or absolutely coincided with the onset of pathological tinnitus.

The nervous system is SO complicated, but fascinating,too. Given that tinnitus is essentially a 'benign' condition, it is interesting to observe our own symptoms and compare them to other folks' observations. Being as the nervous system is so complex it seems to me highly likely that aberrant connections can occur very easily. I am fascinated by folk who can 'taste' music or, apparently 'smell' all the railway stations on the London Underground (not stinky old trains, but cinnamon , bacon and eggs, rose, polish etc...and ascribes a different smell to each station).

So...tinnitus, definitely an inappropriate response to some noxious stimulus. No great surprise if it brings in other senses, then.

Fungus.

 

I have the hot plate one. I call it my ultra high pitched fizz. I can feel it too. I have been having it more frequently, almost all the time. It is driving me crazy. My pitch keeps getting higher. Idk why. I am afraid more damage is being done. How long have you had yours? I am starting to give up hope that it will ever go away.

 

I've seen these "comets" before. The first time was in my 20s, for short (ten seconds or less) periods, every now and then. Then, maybe once every few years. Now, very occasionally (again, about once or twice every year??? If that?). I don't find that these have coincided with tinnitus at all, but I have noticed them as described above. They're bright white dots, surrounded by a dark ring, with that little tail, and they sort of curve back and forth in a snake-like fashion (maybe about 12- 15 of them?) before blinking out. Yes, our nervous system is full of incredibly interesting manifestations!

 

It's good to know that others experience these odd sensations. I've had my 'hotplate' tinnitus for about 3 months. Initially it only happened when I had other illnesses , but it hasn't disappeared since my last one about 4 weeks ago. Try not to worry about it, as tinnitus feeds on anxiety.... whatever we hear cannot harm us.

Path Maker....your comets sound much like mine, but seem to be temporally related to my tinnitus (could just be coincidence. though).

It is interesting to dispassionately 'observe' symptoms at times.

Fungus.

 

For those w the fizzing sound. That happens to me when I eat a lot of histamine, like smoothies or applesauce.

 

@Fungus yes I can see my Tinnitus

Tinnitus

 

Stakovic...that's exactly it, though the 'blobs' often move at a much lower frequency.