Photo credit: Frmir licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
As described on this link, it’s Tinnitus Awareness Week from February 5-11, 2018.
Tinnitus is commonly called ringing in the ears, although technically it is the perception of sound when there is no external sound source. Noise exposure–either chronic or a one-time exposure to loud noise–is the most common cause of tinnitus, although there are many other causes.
The American Tinnitus Association has lots of information available on its website. I serve on ATA’s board and have tinnitus myself.
If you have tinnitus, the most important things to know are that help is available–check the ATA website–and that you should protect your ears from noise to keep your tinnitus from getting worse.
And if you don’t have tinnitus, protect your ears from noise so you don’t ever develop it.
