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Is there a link between tinnitus and visual phenomena?
Hi,I'm 15 years old and since I was around 6 I've had what I believe to be tinnitus. I was fine until I became bothered by how silent it was at night. After a few nights of wondering what I was missing out on, I suddenly started hearing a rolling ringing tone. It's not constant and the nature of the sound changes unexpectedly (beating, rumbling, rustling, white noise...). I've learned to enjoy it (It's almost musical). (Each ear has a slightly different sound)
When I was around 7 my school finished building their amphitheatre and I looked into the lights when I was on stage (no more than thrice and for no longer than 5 seconds). After the second time I could suddenly see structures in my eye when closed or when a light (eg; the stage lights) were shone directly onto them which never happened before. This has become greatly diminished since but one thing that remained were these extremely faint squiggly lines which are incredibly tiny (thinner than hairs) and see through. They don't really impair my vision (till I'm in the dark where they sort of flash) but it is slightly annoying (terrifying to 7 year old me). I easily ignore them, for a few years I even forgot I could see them till a little more recently (I started paying attention). (I would be grateful if someone could tell me what this is called.)
Another thing is that I've been able to see phosphenes for almost as long as I remember. In the light I am fine but in the dark It is like a lightshow! The colours are far richer/vivid and softer than when I was younger. They are no longer filled with squiggly lines (most of the time), they are like airbrushed clouds which dance around and fade into eachother like ripples on water (another thing I had to teach myself to enjoy as well as ignore). When I turn the lights back on, the lightshow still plays out for a few seconds. They also sometimes appear in low light (e.g; drawn curtains on a rainy day).
Long story short, I feel as though what I see, looks like what I hear and what I hear, sounds like what I see. Maybe it's silly that I think these are linked but I noticed that when I was feeling stressed or overwhelmed (where i would become a bit sensitive to light and sound) I would retreat to my bedroom; turn off the lights and stay there for anywhere between a few minutes and a few hours (depending on the severity of the anxiety). In a low stimulus environment, I found that the tinnitus and the visual phenomena lessed considerably (almost non existent in the first few moments of awakening from sleep).
I would assume I was born like this if I didn't have some faint recollection of not experiencing this.
I also feel as though it would be helpful to add that I've been dealing with mild to moderate depression for about 7 months and I'm quite prone to feelings of anxiety (especially where a lot of noise and light are concerned).
When I was in PE I nearly passed out (from exertion);
Brightly coloured psychedelic patterns completely filled my line of vision, I could not see for a few seconds. This was accompanied by very loud ringing, which was more like vivacious tinkling (much higher pitched and faster than usual). It was very loud and I couldn't hear anything over the tinkling. (My skin was tingling.) When my vision returned to normal my ears were still tinkling.
Sorry for including so much detail, I just wanted as precise an answer as possible.
When I was around 7 my school finished building their amphitheatre and I looked into the lights when I was on stage (no more than thrice and for no longer than 5 seconds). After the second time I could suddenly see structures in my eye when closed or when a light (eg; the stage lights) were shone directly onto them which never happened before. This has become greatly diminished since but one thing that remained were these extremely faint squiggly lines which are incredibly tiny (thinner than hairs) and see through. They don't really impair my vision (till I'm in the dark where they sort of flash) but it is slightly annoying (terrifying to 7 year old me). I easily ignore them, for a few years I even forgot I could see them till a little more recently (I started paying attention). (I would be grateful if someone could tell me what this is called.)
Another thing is that I've been able to see phosphenes for almost as long as I remember. In the light I am fine but in the dark It is like a lightshow! The colours are far richer/vivid and softer than when I was younger. They are no longer filled with squiggly lines (most of the time), they are like airbrushed clouds which dance around and fade into eachother like ripples on water (another thing I had to teach myself to enjoy as well as ignore). When I turn the lights back on, the lightshow still plays out for a few seconds. They also sometimes appear in low light (e.g; drawn curtains on a rainy day).
Long story short, I feel as though what I see, looks like what I hear and what I hear, sounds like what I see. Maybe it's silly that I think these are linked but I noticed that when I was feeling stressed or overwhelmed (where i would become a bit sensitive to light and sound) I would retreat to my bedroom; turn off the lights and stay there for anywhere between a few minutes and a few hours (depending on the severity of the anxiety). In a low stimulus environment, I found that the tinnitus and the visual phenomena lessed considerably (almost non existent in the first few moments of awakening from sleep).
I would assume I was born like this if I didn't have some faint recollection of not experiencing this.
I also feel as though it would be helpful to add that I've been dealing with mild to moderate depression for about 7 months and I'm quite prone to feelings of anxiety (especially where a lot of noise and light are concerned).
When I was in PE I nearly passed out (from exertion);
Brightly coloured psychedelic patterns completely filled my line of vision, I could not see for a few seconds. This was accompanied by very loud ringing, which was more like vivacious tinkling (much higher pitched and faster than usual). It was very loud and I couldn't hear anything over the tinkling. (My skin was tingling.) When my vision returned to normal my ears were still tinkling.
Sorry for including so much detail, I just wanted as precise an answer as possible.
I have tinnitus in both ears and am followed by a highly acclaimed otologist (ear MD). I have read a great deal about it. What you describe does not sound like tinnitus. In any case you need to see a ENT or otologist MD physician for a hearing test and proper evaluation of your hearing complaints.
You also need to see an Eye MD ophthalmologist to make sure you have normal eyes.
Unless you are wired differently than the some 7 billion other people you share the world with its far more likely that your symptoms are related to depression/anxiety/hypochondriasis and I hope your parents have had you see and ear, an eye and a psychiatric doctor. Best of luck. If you wish show this response to your parents.
You also need to see an Eye MD ophthalmologist to make sure you have normal eyes.
Unless you are wired differently than the some 7 billion other people you share the world with its far more likely that your symptoms are related to depression/anxiety/hypochondriasis and I hope your parents have had you see and ear, an eye and a psychiatric doctor. Best of luck. If you wish show this response to your parents.
1 Comments
In the above response I made the assumption that you have not trafficked in psychogenic street drugs especially LSD
The doctor will have a much more sophisticated response than mine, but I wonder if you have seen anyone about a condition called synthesthesia:
http://www.synesthete.org
People with this arrangement of the nervous system have a kind of enriched response to different kinds of stimuli. They may see individual letters as having special colors, for example, or sounds as having particular colors or even scents.
It's an interesting state of affairs. If I had the sensations you describe, I would want to talk to a neurologist to find out if he/she had some ideas about it.
http://www.synesthete.org
People with this arrangement of the nervous system have a kind of enriched response to different kinds of stimuli. They may see individual letters as having special colors, for example, or sounds as having particular colors or even scents.
It's an interesting state of affairs. If I had the sensations you describe, I would want to talk to a neurologist to find out if he/she had some ideas about it.
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