Poll: Which Ear Is Your Tinnitus Worse In?

[Damocles]

Just a random thought… Would it have to do with people being left/right handed?

I am right handed, my tinnitus is on the right, as well as in the head too. However, when I am using phone, I have always, subconsciously, used my left ear for calls.

Unlikely, considering dextrality (right-handedness) is more common than sinistrality (left-handedness).

I think if handedness were a factor, we would expect to see the opposite of the results demonstrated in this poll, and the questionnaire ran by Tinnitus Talk in 2020.

 

[Stenis]

I think it's my right ear that's the worst because it has a fluctuating/oscillating sound of my most annoying super high pitch head sound which I find impossible to habituate to.

 

[Forever hopeful]

Used to be my left ear only but I had hearing loss in that ear. Then the hearing loss recovered and tinnitus stopped. Later on I developed bilateral tinnitus (high frequency) but louder in the right ear. Now it is equally bad in both ears just to screw with me.

 

[Lilah]

Definitely worse in the right ear. Even before I had tinnitus my right ear was more sensitive to sound, as I had some mild inner ear pain if I used cell phone for a long time (I now realize this could be hyperacusis). I only used cell phone on my right side. I am also right handed.

 

[Nathaniel Teposo]

My left ear is far worse than my right ear.

 

[tpj]

Left ear is worse but I think the right one is trying to catch up.

 

[Stuart-T]

My perception from reading various sources of tinnitus suffering testimonials and comments has been that the left ear is afflicted more than the right ear. This thread plus the survey confirms more left ear suffering. But why?

 

[GeorgeLG]

Left ear for me as well. Has anyone come up with an explanation for this?

George

 

[Lurius]

Unlikely, considering dextrality (right-handedness) is more common than sinistrality (left-handedness).

I think if handedness were a factor, we would expect to see the opposite of the results demonstrated in this poll, and the questionnaire ran by Tinnitus Talk in 2020.

I've given this a great deal of thought as well. I'm left handed and I only have tinnitus in my left ear. I don't think it's related, not necessarily. If it was, then technically people who are ambidextrous should have a greater chance at developing tinnitus in both ears and that sounds ridiculous to me.

 

[Playdohh]

The tinnitus is worse in my right ear. I believe it is because the speakers were to my right during the loud noise exposure.

 

[Stacken77]

I also wonder if there's any explanation for why the left ear seems more affected than the other.

Maybe there doesn't necessarily have to be a correlation, but I do wonder how each respondents' audiogram looks? Could there be a greater hearing loss on the left ear?

In my case, I do have an asymmetric +10 dB loss in my left ear, which likely is the reason behind my worse left ear tinnitus.

 

[Stuart-T]

I also wonder if there's any explanation for why the left ear seems more affected than the other.

Maybe there doesn't necessarily have to be a correlation, but I do wonder how each respondents' audiogram looks? Could there be a greater hearing loss on the left ear?

In my case, I do have an asymmetric +10 dB loss in my left ear, which likely is the reason behind my worse left ear tinnitus.

I have tinnitus only in my left ear and my audiogram looks same in both ears - some minor impairment 3 kHz to 8 kHz.

 

[CRGC]

I'm experiencing 100% of my symptoms in my right ear, which has a 30 dB notched hearing loss around 6 kHz. Today, 6 months after onset, my left ear still feels normal just as it did all my life (knock on wood it stays like this!)

 

[Strawberryblonde]

Mine is a buzz shhhhh eeeee mix that's all over my head but more to my left side.

 

[RunningMan]

I have some unique tinnitus in each ear and then a common tinnitus sound in both ears. It's a tough call, so I'll say even.

 

[lymebite]

I have read that American truck drivers tend to have much worse hearing damage in the left ear, because vehicles are left hand drive and they keep the driver's side window open often and as a result get far more wind and road noise exposure to the left ear, versus the right.

 

[momus]

I checked both ears, but sometimes it's the left, sometimes it's the right, and sometimes it's both. When I first got tinnitus, it was in both, then just in the left. One day I swear I could feel it travel over to my right ear sorta at the top of my head, but inside my head. It's impossible to describe it any better than that, but it was very, very strange.