Tinnitus is a condition of a ringing sensation in the ears. Every tinnitus sufferer has some hearing loss BUT not everyone with hearing loss will get tinnitus.

People get tinnitus because they have specific lifestyle factors in addition to hearing loss.

Unilateral deafness and tinnitus occurs when a person experiences hearing loss in one ear while retaining normal hearing in the other. This condition is also known as single sided deafness and is in most cases permanent.  While a single underlying cause for unilateral deafness has yet to be found, a sudden onset of hearing loss can be a result of trauma, measles, mumps or a high fever.   It is not at all that uncommon for a person to experience tinnitus, which is constant ringing or buzzing, in the same ear that experiences hearing loss. This is a hard to explain phenomena since tinnitus itself is not well understood and also very difficult to treat.

The occurrence of unilateral deafness and tinnitus could be a sign of other health issues as well. When a individual suffers from both symptoms it could mean that they have acoustic neuroma. Acoustic neuromas are also labeled as Vestibular Schwannomas by people in the medical field because they are the result of the Schwann cell covering the vestibular nerve. People suffering from acoustic neuromas also report symptoms of dizziness, facial numbness and tingling along with the single sided deafness and tinnitus.

While tinnitus is still a medical mystery, most treatments for it, while difficult, do prove effective at helping alleviate the problems of constant ringing or buzzing that plague its victims. Sometimes in extreme cases, tinnitus can be caused by damage to the auditory tube as the result of head trauma or a neurological disorder. If this is the case, extensive treatments like surgery may be required.  Medications can also cause tinnitus. If this is case, the disorder will generally go away once the medication is stopped or replaced with a different brand.  For mild cases of tinnitus, there are some very effective home remedies and exercises available that can help stop or reduce the ringing.

A buildup of wax in the auditory tube or ear canal can be another cause of tinnitus. This buildup can lead to complete blockage which will cause the symptom of single sided deafness. This can be remedied with the removal of the blockage by a medical professional or through the use of an ear cleansing solution. Tick and insect bites have also been known to cause tinnitus and single sided deafness. While this is easily treatable, it is generally hard to diagnose. Once treated, hearing my comeback but the tinnitus might remain for a time.

Since so many different things can cause it, tinnitus is a difficult symptom to treat. Its presence could mean that another problem within the body and many tests might be needed until the cause is determined.