Balance disorders, Ménière's disease, and tinnitusUnfortunately deafened people sometimes have more than one problem. Dizziness, vertigo and tinnitus tend to go hand in hand with deafness.Tinnitus is buzzing, ringing or other unwelcome, extraneous noise that occurs inside a person's head. It is more likely to cause distress in the person who is profoundly deaf because there is no other noise to distract their attention. Symptoms include difficulty in concentration, difficulty in getting to sleep and being irritable, anxious, frustrated, depressed and worn out by intrusive noises. There is no easy answer to this problem though cochlear implants do sometimes give relief to the tinnitus sufferer and some people obtain benefit from tinnitus maskers. You can discuss this with your consultant or doctor. Some ENT departments run specialist tinnitus clinics and it may be worth asking for an appointment. Deafness Research UK have a booklet on tinnitus. Contact details on Factsheet 1 Problems with balance can also be associated with being deafened. This can be the result of the sudden change that has occurred in your perception of the world around. It may become less of a problem over time, and specialist physiotherapy such as Cawthorne/Cooksey exercises can help. Ménière's disease is a condition caused by an accumulation of fluid in the inner ear. This can cause hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo. See Factsheet 1 for contact details of the British Tinnitus Association, the RNID Tinnitus Helpline and the Ménière's Society. There are useful books listed in Factsheet 7. Previous / Next Back to Contents |