A loud beep or ringing in the ears. This is called tinnitus and more and more young people come to the hospital with these ailments. With the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) on the way, something more talked about, and according to the organization and doctors it is an important topic: “We all have to create awareness for it.”
Timo Lassche contracted tinnitus twenty years ago: “I was about fifteen. I got a ringing in my ears from fireworks.” Now he knows how to live with it, but it is far from beautiful: “I no longer know the moments of quiet and stillness, I would like to hear true silence again,” he says.
With Timo it’s a ringing in both ears, but complaints can vary. “It can be a beep, a buzz, a noise or a whistle,” says OLVG ENT doctor Marjolein van Looij. “Tinnitus comes from exposure to loud noises and doesn’t go away. It’s hearing sounds that aren’t actually there.”
There are around two million people in the Netherlands who suffer from tinnitus. “Not everyone knows, or they go to the doctor. So it’s not possible to express it exactly in numbers.” Van Looij sees more and more young people coming to the ENT department.
“Sound enters your ear from the eardrum,” begins the doctor with his explanation. Through the eardrum he goes to three bones which transmit the vibrations of sound to the cochlea. “And that’s where it gets stuck. In the cochlea, vibrations are converted to the brain to hear sound. But in tinnitus, the hairs that cause it are damaged. As a result, some tones can no longer be transmitted properly and the brain becomes fills. ” they show up “.
Ear plugs when going out
Sounds logical, but it’s worth mentioning according to Lassche. He is one of the organizers of ADE, the dance event that kicks off next week in the city: “People should bring and put earplugs, however if they are close to a speaker.” Van Looij also stresses its importance: “There is no cure, so you have to prevent it as much as possible”.
“Always carry good earplugs with you”
According to van Looij, his responsibility lies mainly in providing information: “We can do nothing but provide information and sell earplugs. Unfortunately, this cannot be done for free, because this also costs us money.” good caps, and invest in them “, says Van Looij.
103 to 100 dB
A majority in the House of Representatives proposes to lower the maximum noise level currently permitted in the Netherlands. At the moment it is 103 dB, according to them it should be 100. “Three decibels less means a halving of the sound intensity,” says Van Looij. “So we ENT doctors think it’s a good idea.”
Lassche hesitates. “I think it’s abstract. People go to a party to hear the music, not just to hear it.” So I don’t know if this is really the right thing to do. Paying attention to the problem is what we should do. Because in the end someone has to wear their own cap. “
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