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Comment by mopenstein | Hacker News Reader

I don't know how valid this study is but you do not want tinnitus. I have it pretty bad and it's getting worse as I age. I wouldn't say it's ruined my life but it has severely decreased my quality of life and severely increased my anxiety and depression that lead to multiple anxiety attacks and 1 trip to the emergency room.

I didn't even get mine from loud noises, I was only 11 at the time, I'm just here to encourage everyone to not take silence for granted.

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I agree that you do not want tinnitus, but you also do not want worsening eyesight and hearing, less nimbleness, etc and you get all of that as you age anyway.

The difference is that tinnitus is easily preventable.

> The difference is that tinnitus is easily preventable.

That is categorically NOT true.

I'm not a rocker. I've have earplugs on my keychain. I have over the ear hearing protection for the shop. I have no detectable hearing loss relative to my age.

I still have tinnitus. Nobody knows where or why I got it. And there is no treatment.

Apparently, compression on the audio nerves can also cause it. There is a doctor in Massachusetts doing research on this right now.

Makes sense. For mine they suggested one blood vessel makes a weird turn near my ear nerves and it might be the cause. The fact that it increases with stress (higher blood pressure) makes me think it's true. Who knows.

I agree things in your list are also important, but I’d say for anyone having tinnitus would agree that nothing in that list compares to the constant torture of what tinnitus is.

On one hand, it is not that bad, one is not disabled by having it.

On the other hand, it is always there, there’s nothing you can do to make that easier, not even for a moment.

It’s not about ability, but what it does to you mentally.

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