Have Had Ringing in Ears for Many Years, However Just Got Worse After Changing Tires

[Aedyn]

I have had a ringing in my ears since I was around 10-12, it was only noticeable when in a very quiet area or (eg. in bed). I'm 16 now and it just got worse 2 days ago; my dad and I were changing the tires on the car using his new air compressor, after he emptied the tank (which was extremely loud, forcing me inside) I went on my iPad (with earbuds) to make music on an app I have, the volume was up about halfway because some instruments are quite. When the app crashed, I realized that I could hear ringing. I stayed on my iPad to watch YouTube (with the volume really low). The ringing has gotten slightly better I think, but will get worse if I use my earbuds.

I will try to stay away from using headphones for the next while.
Any advice?

 

[Jiri]

Hi Aedyn,

If I were you I'd do what the Tinnitus Talk Knowledge Base suggests on this forum. Go and see a proper ENT specialist as soon as possible. I noticed a lot of people here are recommending a course of Prednisone.

I hope it'll get better. Sending positive vibes your way.

 

[Alue]

Compressed air can be dangerous. That's how I got my tinnitus initially. Although the tank I was blasted with was at least 10X the pressure of most air compressors. Air pressure can cause very high frequency sounds (it's all about the size of the orifice). Anything above 10kHz won't be picked up by most sound meters, but they can still cause very high frequency hearing loss and tinnitus.

You should probably stop listening to earbuds. Given your age and the fact that it's already improving, I think you'll be fine just as long as you protect your ears around loud noises.