When your ears are healthy, they help you to hear and balance. However, when your ears and ear canals are irritated due to foreign substances, like medicines or chemicals, it can compromise your hearing and balance. This can lead to different issues that will make you feel ill and unwell. This condition is called ototoxicity. This blog will teach you what ototoxicity is and how it affects your hearing and other aspects of your life.
Tinnitus Is No Laughing Matter
If you’ve ever experienced ringing in your ears that seemingly comes out of nowhere, you know how annoying it can be. Tinnitus can happen to anyone at any time. It usually occurs due to a disturbance to the inner ear by foreign objects, sounds, or chemicals and medicines. When you discover that you have tinnitus, treat it immediately, as it could develop into other conditions that could be troublesome to your health.
Feelings of Dizziness
Because your ear canals, specifically your inner or middle ear, control your balance, you may feel dizzy if they’re disturbed. This throws off the equilibrium in your brain and upsets your balance. You might experience vertigo, which can be ongoing or come and go. If you’re in the area, consider visiting a Houston audiologist specializing in medicine for this condition. Otherwise, find another audiologist in your area.
You May Feel Nauseous
If you’ve had the previous symptoms long enough, you might even develop nausea. This condition makes you feel uneasy and sick. You might feel like you need to lie down and rest or that you need to vomit if you’re too dizzy. It may not seem serious, but it is quite debilitating if you can’t even move from where you are due to the condition.
You Might Have Blurry Vision
Some people experience blurred vision when they have tinnitus, which isn’t as farfetched as it may seem. The ear canals control your hearing and how you take in information from sounds and speech. If you can’t hear and it causes all the other problems, it could intensify your overall state even more, which could cause other problems like blurred vision to develop.
Now that you know what ototoxicity is and how it affects your hearing, you’ll know what to look out for if you feel the symptoms coming on. This will also help you be aware of medicines and chemicals and keep your guard up to prevent yourself from developing this condition.
