Tinnitus: Eyelid Twitching?

You may have involuntary eyelid twitches in association with your tinnitus. You may have thought of the eyelid twitching as a separate issue from the tinnitus but the two issues may be a sign of non-cilia generated tinnitus. You likely have damage to some other part of your auditory system besides the cochlea. You may be experiencing hyperacusis.

Getting to the source of your tinnitus is important. The source can help you to determine how best to treat the tinnitus. Complete the following survey (for yourself, don't send your results to me).

1. Are one of your eyelids twitching? Y or N

2. Do you sometimes notice a physical tugging sensation inside of your ears? Y or N

3. Do you hear a vrooom sound that moves from one ear to the other? Y or N

4. Do certain sounds (e.g. phone, printer, lawn equipment, high pitch noises) amplify louder than normal, inside of your ears, and trigger your tinnitus? Y or N

5. Are you frustrated that your medical providers are not able to diagnose your condition? Y or N 

6. Does your auditory system seem to react to radio frequency? Y or N

7. Do you experience cricket sounds at random times? Y or N

8. If you experience a tugging sensation, what triggers it? Eye drops? Y or N, Caffiene? Y or N, Fatigue? Y or N

9. Have you ever had a traumatic brain injury? Y or N

10. Have you been overexposed to loud noises such as gunfire, fireworks, lawn equipment, concerts, industrial noise, etc? 

Y or N

If you answered yes to any of questions 1-5, 7 or 8 then you likely are experiencing hyperacusis in tandem with your tinnitus. Hyperacusis can trigger the tinnitus and make it sound even louder. 

If you answered yes to question 6 then you may have electromagnetic sensitivity in association with your tinnitus. It is possible to have all three conditions.

If the hairlike cells inside of your cochlea are not damaged and you don't have some form of brain damage that is driving your tinnitus then you may benefit from surgery. Consult your doctor.

If you answered yes to question 9 then you may have damaged your auditory system as a result of your traumatic brain injury.

If you answered yes to 10 then you likely have broken or bent cilia inside of your cochlea. Only time will tell whether it will be short-term or chronic long-term tinnitus.

If you answered yes to all of the above then you probably have a little of everything, which is rare, but possible. For example, veterans who have experienced explosions and live fire may have been exposed to traumatic brain injury and extremely loud sudden noise at the same time. Police officers, fire fighters and ambulance crews may also experience similar issues for obvious reasons.

I designed this survey to help you to gain a general idea of the source of your tinnitus. Hopefully it may save you years of medical appointments and give you some treatment options to discuss with your medical provider.