You may be experiencing tinnitus, which is often described as a "ringing sound in the ear". Tinnitus can be broadly classified as subjective (when there is no external sound stimulus) and objective (when it is due to the presence of a sound stimulus).
Some of the causes include:
- Subjective tinnitus
- Hearing loss
- Earwax
- Ear infections
- Stress
- Lack of sleep
- Medications
2. Objective tinnitus
- Sound from nearby blood vessels
- Clicking sound from nearby muscles (e.g. in the ear, jaw joint area or palate)
- Tumours
Subjective tinnitus represents more than 95% of tinnitus seen in my practice. Majority of the time, tinnitus is not due to a serious medical or health condition. If your tinnitus is persistent, you should visit an ENT Specialist for an assessment. A full ENT and head & neck examination is required and often includes a hearing test.
