Did you know?
About 1 in 3 Australians will suffer from tinnitus in their life time and 1 in 6 Australians suffer with tinnitus constantly. People with tinnitus experience sounds that aren’t actually there.
Tinnitus is sometimes known as a ‘ringing in the ears’, but if you have the condition, you may hear humming, hissing, whistling, clicking, roaring, whooshing or buzzing sounds. The noise can be faint or loud, and it can occur in one or both ears.
Tinnitus can come and go, or you might experience it all the time. Some people find their tinnitus is an irritation they can learn to live with. For others, it can be very distressing.
There are 2 main types of tinnitus:
- subjective tinnitus, which only you can hear – this is the most common type
- objective tinnitus, which a doctor can hear when they examine your ears – this can be caused by a problem with your blood vessels, or with the bones or muscles in your ear