Tinnitus Along with Floaters

[RichardFL]

Hello all, I have been a reader here for awhile, but decided to introduce myself.

I developed Tinnitus about 8 months ago when I was going through a stressful time in my life. I developed insomnia, induced by anxiety. My doctor put me on Buspar along with Xanax to be taken on an as needed basis. The only other thing that I was taking was Doxycycline 100 mg for rosacea and acne on my forehead. I had actually been taking the Doxycycline for 6 years 1 pill a day. I believe it was 50 mg for a few years, then my doctor increased it to 100 mg due to some acne I was developing on my back. On the third day of taking the Buspar I had a loud roaring/revving sound for a few seconds in my ears, then a constant static buzz. The buzz was probably a 3 out of 10 at that time. I discontinued use of the Buspar, and tried Trazodone for sleep, but that ended up just sedating me instead of helping me sleep. The last thing I tried was Temazepam which helped me get about 3 hours sleep then I would just be up so I had to discontinue that as well. At some point in there, about 2-3 weeks after the Tinnitus developed I began to see black floaters in both eyes.

Since I really didn't want to be on any of these for the longterm I decided to see someone for CBT. This was definitely what helped me most, talking things out and learning skills to help me in life. Through the CBT I was able to get a handle on the insomnia, and was only taking 5 mg Melatonin at bedtime which helped me sleep for at least most of the nights. I also use a fan as white noise. Time has really seemed to help with both my insomnia and Tinnitus. I have nights where I can't fall asleep every once in awhile, but I don't let it bother me since I know it's not an everyday occurrence and I will be able to sleep better the next day. I usually just get up and read for an hour or two and then go back to bed. My Tinnitus over time has reduced to a 1 out of 10, and I can only notice it when I am by myself in a quiet room or when I lay down at night to sleep.

I saw an ENT and Audiologist for a hearing test and they weren't able to detect any hearing loss. My ear pressure and eardrum responsiveness were also good. I also saw an eye doctor a few times, who says I will probably see floaters for at least a year, but my vision is still 20/20. Over time the floaters have become less and less noticeable, and the ones I still do see are transparent when looking at anything bright or a light colored wall. The eye doctor didn't mention anything about the floaters being related to Tinnitus or medications, just that I am 40 years old this year, and that's usually around the age when some people have the gel in their eyes separate, and that it takes time to heal itself.

I went off the Doxycycline for 6 months and just used topicals to treat the rosacea/acne on my forehead, but lately it has gotten to a point where my forehead feels raw. I decided that I was going to take the 100 mg Doxycycline for a week to help it clear up, and then ask my doctor for a very low dose 20mg prescription to maintain it ongoing. After taking the 100 mg three days I noticed that my Tinnitus has spiked just a little to a 2 out of 10. I am probably either going to go right to the lower dose 20 mg now or be done with the Doxycycline all together. It did really help my skin in just 3 days though, so it is tempting to stay on a low dose. I just haven't found any topicals that will work for me without the combination of an antibiotic.

I'm kinda torn on this decision, I feel like I am lucky for the Tinnitus to be at a 1 or 2, and that it would be a bad idea to even risk the Doxycycline long term. But at the same time I need to find a balance of something to do for my forehead since it feels raw.

Also is there anyone here that developed floaters around the same time as Tinnitus? If so did your floaters go away over time?

 

[Aaron44126]

My tinnitus started in July 2017. I started noticing floaters in October 2017.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about the correlation. I was hit hard by sensorimotor OCD a few weeks after the tinnitus set in, and things that didn't bother me before starting bothering me a lot. Increased attention on eye floaters is a possible symptom of sensorimotor OCD. So... Were they always there, and my brain had just un-leaned how to ignore them, now that I was paying way too much attention to stuff? Or were they really new and the timing just happened to be coincidental? Could they have been cause by the magnesium supplement that I was taking during that time — which did make my eyes feel a bit strange and "dry"? (I'm rather sure of the connection between the dry eye / strange eye feeling sensation and the supplement, because the feeling always stopped when I stopped taking the supplement and returned immediately when I resumed...)

I did have a detailed eye exam and the doctor found a retinal tear, very minor. I had laser surgery to correct it (or stop it from getting worse anyway). I don't think that the floaters are related to that, though, because I notice the floaters more in my right eye but the tear was in my left. Still, good that it was found before it got bad.

Anyway. One year later, improvements on both counts; the tinnitus is mild, the floaters are mild, both are still present but I find neither of them to be particularly troublesome. I'm not sure how much to attribute the floater improvement to habituation, CBT, or to genuine improvement (reduction in floaters or they moved further away from the retina), but at this point, like you I normally only see them if I am looking at something bright or mostly solid-colored.

 

[Don Tinny]

I have both symptoms but I'm 100% habituated to floaters. Habituation process took me maybe 4 months when I was nearly 22 years old. The symptom did not improve over time.

Tinnitus was very mild, then moderate, then mild again and now came back severe after a big mistake. I have had it since childhood.

It seems that most tinnitus sufferers also have eye floaters. God knows why.

 

[dpdx]

I have both symptoms but I'm 100% habituated to floaters. Habituation process took me maybe 4 months when I was nearly 22 years old. The symptom did not improve over time.

Tinnitus was very mild, then moderate, then mild again and now came back severe after a big mistake. I have had it since childhood.

It seems that most tinnitus sufferers also have eye floaters. God knows why.

Did you have floaters before or after T.
Floaters have to do with the brain processing center. I think Tinintus damages the brain.

 

[fran dana]

pretty severe tinnitus, floaters and visual snow here

 

[JohnAdams]

pretty severe tinnitus, floaters and visual snow here

I have very very slight snow. be strong bro.

 

[Don Tinny]

Did you have floaters before or after T.
Floaters have to do with the brain processing center. I think Tinintus damages the brain.

Very mild tinnitus since childhood (need to plugs my ears). I used to love fireworks, maybe was that. I thought it was normal head sound.

Developed floaters at age 22/23 after using my PC a lot of time. My tinnitus was really mild at that time.

Tinnitus became moderate in 2012 and mild again (audible in quiet rooms) in 2015.

A concert with earplugs gave me severe tinnitus, 24-10-2017. 1 year ago.

Floaters always the same since that day.

 

[Niel S.]

 

[Lilah]

One year later, improvements on both counts; the tinnitus is mild, the floaters are mild

Did your floaters actually decrease? What type of floaters did you have?

Anyone's floaters actually decrease?

I had one spiderweb before tinnitus, but after tinnitus I have another large spiderweb and these stars that sway back and forth. I went to a retina specialist and he found nothing. My floaters also change in size. He also said that computer use/watching TV does NOT cause floaters.

 

[Aaron44126]

Did your floaters actually decrease? What type of floaters did you have?

Anyone's floaters actually decrease?

I had one spiderweb before tinnitus, but after tinnitus I have another large spiderweb and these stars that sway back and forth. I went to a retina specialist and he found nothing. My floaters also change in size. He also said that computer use/watching TV does NOT cause floaters.

Not sure how to describe what "kind" of floaters I have. Most of them are tiny specs but there is one in my right eye which is like a tangled web of three "blobs". I've gotten a good look at it a few times and it appears to be made of the same thing as the regular little floaters, just for some reason a clump of them have formed. Usually I can't see the connecting web part, this three dark spots that are moving together.

I started to notice them shortly after my tinnitus started, but I've come to think that they have probably been around much longer; my tinnitus onset caused psychological problems and I believe heightened my OCD and I started noticing all sorts of things that I normally wouldn't.

I can't say if they have decreased over the last 18 months. I can say for sure that they are bothering me less. Like the tinnitus, I normally go all day without noticing the floaters. Over the past year and a half, they have just become part of life and don't even produce a reaction from me when they pop into view. I did read up on this a lot when I first started to notice them, so I know that floaters don't typically go away on their own. I think that as the fluid in your eye becomes less like "jelly" and more like "water", they might not spend as much time right up against your retina which may make them less noticeable.

 

[Ken219]

He also said that computer use/watching TV does NOT cause floaters.

Did you expect him to say otherwise? EPA said 2 days after 9/11/2001 ground zero's air quality is safe. TRT 26 years later they say TRT is ineffective. Cancer clusters no relationship to anything. I can go on but you get the idea.

 

[DanielJ]

Eye floaters do not reduce or go away that's for sure.

I believe my onset of tinnitus also coincided with noticing floaters soon after also. Who knows why this is, increased hyper awareness I would imagine.

 

[TheDanishGirl]

I had floaters before getting tinnitus, but tinnitus made them somewhat worse, and brought mild visual snow + I haven't been able to cope with floaters at all, after getting tinnitus. They are torturing me every day.