Does anyone else suffer from both tinnitus and visual disturbances? I don't mean synchronised in any way, just generally. I get classic visual migraines (with aura) every few weeks but get other visual disturbances more regularly that can occasionally be quite dramatic. My visual migraines pre-date my tinnitus by a few years. The smaller visual disturbances started a couple of months before my tinnitus 28 years ago, but both have got worse in recent years. I am also a bit light-sensitive and get profound after-images. My eye examinations have shown my eyes to be normal, suggesting that the visual symptoms are in my wiring. I've heard that the rare condition of visual snow goes hand-in-hand with tinnitus, but I'm wondering whether tinnitus with other visual symptoms is widespread.
Tinnitus and visual disturbances?: Does anyone... - Tinnitus UK
Tinnitus and visual disturbances?
yeah my vision is also bad. Some days is worse than other but in general it just seems cloudy. I also have migraines every day and dizziness. All the best.
Sorry to hear that. Migraines and dizziness ever day must be bad.
yes. I have lots of weird vision things. The weirdest is and I’m not even sure what causes this, but I will have square pieces of my vision blackout when I am overextended. I used to get the kind of migraines where I lost vision when I was younger. I’m certain it’s all related.
That all sounds very scary. My visual migraines are probably milder than yours - an arc of coloured filaments that starts small and gradually grows and extends off the edge of my vision.
Yes that’s exactly how my migraines were
Hi, I’m pleased you have posted this as I too get migraines, no headache but just the zig zag lines, also have white small lines that dart across my vision. Last eye test was normal.
Your migraines sound similar to mine. I also get small 'comets' that briefly move across my vision - can happen up to several times a day.
Hi, yes, I too get aura migraines and have tinnitus. Like yours my migraines predate the tinnitus but by many years (but the tinnitus always flares when I’m suffering from a migraine).
OK, similar to me, but I can say that my tinnitus is never correlated with my migraines.
I get ocular migraines, my eyes are light sensitive and I have after images, plus floaters.
Sounds like me.
Yes I'm 66 and have had tinnitus since my mid 20's (mild) which worsened in my mid 30's after syringing and has become quite a bit worse in the last 5 or so years. Since my mid 40's I have had visual disturbance type migraines with NO headaches and these occur about 10 times a year and last for about 20 minutes. You have my sympathy. It's hard going trying to stay positive with these untreatable conditions, especially as you develop other age related medical problems. I can easily live with the visual disturbances as long as they don't worsen but find it hard to deal with my tinnitus especially at night as I haven't slept well for many years. I currently don't use any devices to help me cope with the tinnitus but fear I shall soon have to try something but am unsure where to start as everyone's experiences are unique to them.
My migraines are similar to yours - no headaches, I get them about every 6 weeks (usually arriving in pairs) and they last 20-30 minutes. Regarding the tinnitus and sleep, at one time I had to have absolute silence to get to sleep but now I find that I can go to sleep with my sound machine on (waves on the shore or a thunder storm) or the radio on very low (classical music or speech). But I only use background sound to help me sleep when my tinnitus has flared up. It's worth a try.
Thank you. Yes we seem to have several similarities. I think I will have to try some devices to help me sleep. I'm not sure what a sound machine is -not very IT orientated but I get by. I'll have to search online. My problem is I may need some headphones, earbuds or similar so as not to disturb my wife.
The sound machine I have is called a Homecube (actually a pear-shaped unit) that I got from Amazon for about £30. It has lots of different sound modes and the sound quality is good. And it does have a headphone socket in the back.
Thank you. I think I shall investigate getting one. I hear (no pun intended) so many stories of people spending thousands on hearing aids that don't appear to be of benefit that I am loathe to go down that route until my actual hearing is bad enough. I had a hearing test in my mis 30's when I was told I had already lost some frequencies. Naturally things have only got worse as time has gone on but I can still get by without a hearing aid presently.
MarTINITUS, you might find that hearing aids do help. Assuming you live in the UK, they are free. You don’t just have to “get by”
Yes I'm in the UK but getting a GP appointment at my practice is challenging to say the least and the local NHS waiting lists for ENT services are extremely lengthy-hence people are forced down the expensive private route with mixed results. My own mother paid £2K for a private hearing aid which she can't get on with and my uncle had similar problems.
I feel your pain!
I think in some places you can self-refer for an NHS hearing test with Specsavers and I think they do some NHS hearing aids - at least they used to.
Yes thanks I looked into this but unfortunately in my area there's no Specsavers provision-the website merely says i have to get a referral from my GP so Catch 22 unfortunately.
On your advice I've searched online and having looked at reviews I've decided to order a Homecube. Got to be worth a try for £30!
It's a great little machine for the money. I like the Nature sounds and don't bother with the white noise and fan noises. Whether it will be of any use is a personal thing, but it's worth a go. I don't have it on loud - just loud enough to take my brain's attention away from the tinnitus and towards the sound. I find that the high-frequency birdsong can temporarily reduce my tinnitus, but I don't use that sound to go to sleep to.
I did upload or it is download an app on to my phone but when I tried to use it the signal is so poor after a few minutes I lost it. This happens most times when I try to use my phone and all that happens is my anxiety levels increase and then so does my tinnitus! Ever hopeful for some relief even if only on a temporary basis.
Yes, I find smartphones to be far from straight forward. I recently changed my phone after about five years, which raised my anxiety levels. They seem to be making them more difficult to use. Let us know what you think of the Homecube when you get it.
The issues you describe are likely visual snow syndrome (VSS). Note that visual snow is only one part of visual snow syndrome. VSS also includes afterimages (palinopsia), glare, light sensitivity, floaters, etc.
I have both. They can occur together. Sometimes visual snow is referred to as tinnitus of the eyes. Some researchers think both disorders have a shared pathway.
Thanks, that's interesting. I have suspected that I am at the very thin end of the visual snow wedge but I didn't know that it included these other symptoms.
I also see the 20 minutes bright white zigzags, which started some years after the pulsatile tinnitus. Mine seem best called "scintillating scotoma" rather than "retinal migraine" - see Wikipedia for full descriptions of these symptoms. The don't bother me any more than the PT, being very used to them and not afraid they are of any danger, just a nuisance like old age in general.
Yes, my visual migraines are scintillating scotoma. I agree that they can be a nuisance but I'm used to them and don't worry about them. My more sudden visual disturbances are more scary but don't seem to last as long.
"Profound after-images" seems a clue. I’m sure your opthamologist knows far more than I do, and should be able to make something of that. One cause is Peripapillary Atrophy, which I have in both eyes, but quite large in the left - being very short sighted leads to this (and detatched retina as my brother had once). After images in the atrophied areas last a long time now, with very slow adaptation of the atrophied areas to changes of brightness. They can seem worrying visual disturbances unless I can realise what I've just been seeing that they are based on .
Once the main atrophy area became conspicuous many years ago it hasn't grown at all yet.
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