A loud beep or ringing in your ears. This is called tinnitus and more and more young people are coming to hospital with these complaints. With the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) on the way, something that is being discussed more, and according to the organization and doctors is an important topic: “We all have to create awareness for this.”
Timo Lassche contracted tinnitus twenty years ago: “I was about fifteen. I got a ringing in my ears from the fireworks.” He now knows how to live with it, but it is anything but nice: “I don’t know quiet and quiet moments anymore, I would love to hear real silence again,” he says.
With Timo it is a ringing in both ears, but the complaints can vary. “It can be a beep, a buzz, a noise or a whistle,” says ENT doctor at OLVG Marjolein van Looij. “Tinnitus comes from exposure to loud noises and doesn’t go away. It’s hearing sounds that aren’t really there.”
There are an estimated two million people in the Netherlands who suffer from tinnitus. “Not everyone knows it, or goes to the doctor. Therefore it is not possible to express it exactly in numbers.” Van Looij does see more and more young people coming to the ENT department.
“The sound enters your ear at the eardrum,” the doctor begins her explanation. Via the eardrum it goes to three bones that transmit the vibrations of the sound to the cochlea. “And that’s where it gets stuck. In the cochlea, vibrations are converted to the brain to hear the sound. But in tinnitus, the hairs that cause this are damaged. As a result, certain tones can no longer be transmitted properly and the brain fills up.” they show themselves in.”
Earplugs when going out
It sounds logical, but it is worth mentioning according to Lassche. He is one of the organizers of ADE, the dance event that starts next week in the city: “People should bring and put in earplugs, anyway if they are close to a speaker.” Van Looij also emphasizes its importance: “There is no cure, so you have to prevent it as much as possible.”
“Always take good earplugs with you”
According to van Looij, his responsibility lies mainly in providing information: “We can do no more than provide information and sell earplugs. Unfortunately, this cannot be done for free, because that also costs us money. “Always take good plugs with you, and invest in them.” says Van Looij.
From 103 to 100 dB
A majority of the House of Representatives proposes to lower the maximum noise level that is currently permitted in the Netherlands. At the moment it is 103 dB, according to them that should be 100. “Three decibels down means a halving of the intensity of the sound,” says Van Looij. “So we as ENT doctors think that’s a good idea.”
Lassche hesitates. “I think it’s abstract. People go to a party to feel the music, not just to hear it.” And you want to give people in the back the same experience as the people in the front of the room. 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 bring their own caps.”
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