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Ian's story

Watch Ian tell his story (Mpeg 10.3 Mb)

Video transcript

Yes, I have had tinnitus for probably about three years or so now.  It first started off when I was doing sound engineering.  To start off with I didn’t have any hearing protection, now I take it very seriously and I have my own custom made earplugs and they are with me all the time, whether I am working or out enjoying a gig. 

Now it’s with me all the time.  Now, obviously the ringing, it’s hard to explain precisely, technically it’s about 8 kilohertz in frequency and with my job being involved with sound I can compensate for that. 

Obviously I hear it more at night or when I am somewhere quiet.  It can be really irritating if I am in this really nice quiet area late at night, going for a walk or something and then suddenly I will suddenly remember I have got my tinnitus but it can get me down sometimes. 

When I first started getting it I did go to my GP and he said well, there’s nothing we can do about it but I can book you in to see an ear specialist so I went to see an ear specialist at the Ear and Nose Clinic/Hospital at Gray’s Inn Road and they put me in the anechoic chamber and they told me this is the problem that I had. 

I hope it doesn’t get any worse because I have kind of done something about it and am very conscious about it actually and whenever I am at work I am always telling people to get earplugs. 

People don’t seem to realise that the damage is accumulative and that’s one of the reasons why I’m making this video and am also involved in this campaign because people don’t realise that when they are 50 or 60 they will become deaf and it’s too late because if you do something about it now, you can still enjoy it.