Hearing loss and freediving

[Polorutz]

Hi, I was reading up on some threads and it seems some people have had some degree of hearing loss as a result of freediving.

I personally have a very faint tinnitus and have developed some hearing loss on my right ear on frequecies above 8000 Hz, I know all this because I had to go through an Aviation Medical which includes an Audiogram.

I don't freedive anymore and the hearing loss might be the result of years of listening to loud music, or any other unrelated things.

So basically, do you think freediving can cause hearing loss??

Have you had any hearing loss as a result of freediving??

And the most interesting question, do you think regular non traumatic freediving can cause a gradual loss of hearing?? maybe scuba divers can relate? maybe too much valsalva??

Discuss

 

[Fondueset]

I had my ears checked last year with similar findings to yours. Right ear - slight HF loss - probably caused by a firecracker some doof blew off in my ear when I was in High school. What I got from the earologista (?!) was - no. Unless you have frequent ear infections or allow pressure trauma by not equalizing adequately.
I also have tinnitus - work on that is a: every body has it - many just don't hear it and b: According the Chinese medicine tinnitus can point to certain imbalances. For example many westerners have liver congestion - which is associated with higher frequency tinnitus. Mine gets notably worse when I work on computers - which makes sense in the chinese model because the eyes are associated with the liver..

 

[LachlanWA]

I have high frequency hearing loss in both ears (a different band of frequencies in each ear) which was caused by freediving. I surfaced and one ear was completely deaf and I had tinnitus. Over about six weeks my hearing returned, and the tinnitus diminished, but it's still there. Basically the same thing happened to the other ear about three weeks later. I think it was linked to a sinus problem that I had while I was diving, like a blockage suddenly clearing which caused a sharp pressure change in my ear and damaged it. I couldn't remember any pain when it happened, but I suppose smaller events over time could damage the ear sufficiently to cause hearing loss and tinnitus.

Cheers,
Lachlan

 

[Fondueset]

Sounds like an inner ear infection. did you have it checked?

 

[LachlanWA]

Unfortunately I never did. At the time I was diving in tropical waters every day for a month, so an ear infection was certainly not out of the question. Something to consider for next time. (hopefully not a next time actually)

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Since 1992, I have been deaf in one ear as the result of a round window rupture suffered while diving.

I have significant high frequency loss in the other ear, but its hard to pin it on diving. I was a jet fighter pilot for 20 years.

 

[Polorutz]

Since 1992, I have been deaf in one ear as the result of a round window rupture suffered while diving.

I have significant high frequency loss in the other ear, but its hard to pin it on diving. I was a jet fighter pilot for 20 years.

Sweet, what crate did you fly?

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Not counting trainers, F-4, F-9, F-10, A-4, OV-10 (a turboprop)

 

[Polorutz]

Not counting trainers, F-4, F-9, F-10, A-4, OV-10 (a turboprop)

Did you deploy actively with the Phantoms?

I mean, were you deployed to any conflict zones during your service?

 

[Fondueset]

F-10 - thats one you don't hear about much (no pun intended). My boss here lost hearing in one ear abruptly and recently - round window - traced to his history as a crew chief working around jets.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Did you deploy actively with the Phantoms?

I mean, were you deployed to any conflict zones during your service?

Just Vietnam, unless you count photo reconnaissance over Cuba. It wasn't exactly a conflict zone, but they didn't like having their pictures taken.

My son was also a Marine pilot, although he got out after "just" ten years. He flew the F-18 from a Navy carrier over Iraq and Bosnia.

 

[Polorutz]

I hijacked my own thread hehehe

 

[sanso]

... I surfaced and one ear was completely deaf and I had tinnitus. Over about six weeks my hearing returned, and the tinnitus diminished, but it's still there. ...
..

I was diving the maldives and had similar symptoms in my left ear - not entirely deaf, but hardly any hearing there at the start. As with You, the effect diminished, but the tinnitus is still there. I now can't hear crickets anymore - and the alarm of my D3 - it's just that frequency ... :head

That one was the result of an infection. Ever since I am really into flushing ears with clean water and using alcoholic ointments after dives.

 

[cdavis]

Just went in for some hearng aids. I thought it was just typical age related hearing loss, but questioned the specialist about freediving. He had some interesting comments. Seems that most hearing loss in old coots is loss of sensitivity in the inner ear. I have some of that, but also some type of mechanical loss in the middle ear, that could be related to a lot of years of freediving. No sure thing, but something to think about.

Connor

 

[Haydn]

I came out 100% deaf in one ear after a dive. Over six weeks it gradually improved to a point that I can now hear but am hearing impaired in all frequencies in the one ear. The tinitus is noisy. That was about two years ago with no further improvement.

 

[cdavis]

Hi Haydn, glad to see you back on the forums. Am I assuming correctly that this occurred after a dive where equalization as a problem? Could you describe exactly what happened?

Connor

 

[flying_spanner]

I've been told that the Valsalva can contribute to hearing loss, and to use the Frenzel technigue as it's much gentler on the delicate workings of your ears.

My Dad has 500 recreational scuba dives logged and he's got pretty bad hearing loss and should be wearing a hearing aid (if he weren't so bloody stubborn). But then again he's a tradesman and has 40 years of working as a mechanic to blame before pointing the finger at scuba.

The ear doc last time him and I both went in together (for two seperate appointments), told us that diving has been known to contribute to hearing loss, but in most cases it's because of scar tissur due to diving with a cold, infections etc. and the statistics are quite unreliable.

Just my two cents

 

[billieball]

While scuba diving, I've come up with a kind of "muffled" hearing thing going on occasionally. It would typically go away within a day. With freediving, it's never happened. Then again, as a former flight attendant who didn't wear her ear protection on the tarmacs...it's no surprise that I often find myself asking people to repeat what they've just said. I guess jet engines really can hurt one's ears, eh? Eh?

Oh, and while training in scuba techniques a couple of years ago, we were told that Valsalva was easier on the body than Frenzel. Funny how everyone's got an opinion about this. What's that old adage? "Opinions are like ___________."

Cheers!

 

[apneaboy]

Pardon...?

 

[samdive]

until about a year ago I had had loads of eardrum perfs and absolutely no hearing problems as a result - I get a full commercial medical each year when they test these things.

Unfortunately since about Christmas, after a nasty ear infection which resulted in my ear drum bursting (may or may not have anything to do with diving), I have definitely got reduced hearing in that ear and most annoyingly, evil tinnitus in it whenever the rest of life goes quiet (lying down particularly)

If anyone has a good cure for tinnitus I'd love to hear it. My doctor just told me to put it up with it and it might go eventually - but it drives me mad

S