“Ringing in the Ears” Overexposure to excessive noise can lead to the permanent onset of tinnitus. Tinnitus can be described as a variety of sounds including: ringing, buzzing, rushing, crickets, or a combination of these.
Tinnitus can become a problem if it interferes with someone’s concentration, sleeping patterns and ability to hear clearly. If this is the case then no one should be told that “nothing can be done”.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) has helped thousands of tinnitus patients throughout the world. 86% of patients who participate in the program are helped.
It is widely accepted that working in a noisy environment such as a factory or with heavy machinery is damaging to our ears, however one group who are often forgotten or neglected with current legislation are musicians. Currently, Western Australian legislation requires workplaces, which have noise levels exceeding 85 decibels to provide their workers with adequate hearing protection. It would therefore appear unusual, that given that some musicians expose their ears to sound levels in excess of 110 decibels on regular intervals, they are not protected under the same legislation. It is therefore up to the musician or person listening to loud music to take responsibility for protecting their ears against long-term damage.
If you are experiencing the symptoms of tinnitus, please contact Western Hearing Services to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced audiologists.