Dr. Glenn Knox hears constant noise in both his ears. It sounds like a smooth whine, and it’s louder in his left ear than his right. He has tinnitus, a condition that causes a person to hear sound that isn't created by an external source.
Knox is a University of Florida associate professor, but before that was a practicing ear, nose and throat doctor for 40 years.
While in medical school, Knox said he attended a rock concert where he was exposed to loud noise, and the whining sound in his left ear began. Then 18 months ago, someone yelled in his right ear at a wedding, when a softer sound began in that ear.
“It was quite distressing for a while, and then finally I got used to it,” Knox said.
Tinnitus, often known as ringing in the ears, isn't a disease, but rather a symptom of a health condition such as noise trauma, which is an injury in the inner ear caused by a very loud sound. Most cases are due to damage to hair cells in the cochlea that would help transform sound waves into nerve signals used by the brain.
Ocala audiologist Evans Pemba notes that the brain makes up for a lack of sound stimulus by inventing “phantom sound.”
“The part of the brain responsible for processing those signals is like, ‘I should be hearing something,’ ” Pemba said.
Tinnitus can manifest as a ringing, buzzing, hissing, chirping, whistling or other sounds, such as Knox's whining.
“Some people hear trains, some people hear music, some people hear wind whooshing, some people hear chirping, crickets. So everybody's tinnitus is unique to them,” Pemba said.
In addition to noise trauma, anything from excess earwax to brain tumors can lead to tinnitus. Even some medications like aspirin, antibiotics and certain chemotherapy drugs can cause the condition.
Sometime, the underlying cause can be treated. Often, however, it can't be cured. However, it can be managed with therapies that cover the sound, such as hearing aids programmed with a tinnitus masker or noise machines. Over-the-counter vitamins may also help.
Pemba said he’s seen a slight increase in the number of his patients asking about tinnitus, and he attributes this to a recent study from researchers at the University of Michigan.
The study, a collaboration with Apple, surveyed over 160,000 people. Researchers found that almost 78% of participants had tinnitus at some point, with 15% experiencing it daily.
The study said that over 20% of people blamed noise trauma.
“We live in a noisy environment, and it’s getting noisier and noisier,” Knox said.
Knox and Pemba said anyone with tinnitus should see a doctor, but especially if the noise suddenly appears or suddenly gets louder, or if it’s one-sided. These could be the signs of a serious medical condition.
Knox attributes the rise in reported cases to more people becoming aware of options and new research coming out all the time.
“It used to be in the past that a patient would come into your nose and throat office and they would just say, ‘Well, you're ringing in your ears. There's nothing we can do about it,’” Knox said. “But now we have plenty that we can do for it.”
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