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Dear Doc,
When I’m sitting at my desk working or even when it’s quiet, I hear ringing or sounds when there aren’t any noises in the room. Sometimes, I see lines or spots that appear to be floating in my eyes. What could be causing these? Are they related? Part of my military duties involve training around loud noises or blasts—could this be a reason?
I’m a little worried that it might affect my mission readiness.
U.S. Army Sgt. T.S. Ringer
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Dear Sgt. Ringer,
Hearing and vision issues can be concerning, especially in how it may affect your ability to serve.
We talked to a couple of experts who can help address your vision and hearing questions. They have key information as well as advice on how to maintain your readiness.
Dr. LaGuinn Sherlock, a research audiologist serving as a hearing program studies investigator for the Defense Centers for Public Health-Aberdeen, with duty at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, helps answer your hearing questions. For your eye concerns: We turned to Dr. Sally Dang, an optometrist with the Vision Center of Excellence, who can help explain what you may be experiencing with your vision.
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Dr. Sherlock: Ringing in the Ears could be Tinnitus
Sounds like the ringing you are hearing could be tinnitus, which is the perception of sound in the absence of an external sound source. Tinnitus is often a symptom of auditory damage. Any hearing damage can cause tinnitus, in particular, noise exposure.
Common causes of tinnitus are exposure to blasts and other sources of loud noises, like being on an aircraft carrier, using power tools, or being in a shooting range. Tinnitus can also be caused by medications that are toxic to the ear, such as chemotherapeutic drugs and high doses of aspirin. Sometimes tinnitus is caused by ear infections or an ear full of wax. Certain health factors, including ear infections, high blood pressure, and diabetes, can make tinnitus worse.
What are the typical symptoms?
People with tinnitus describe it as a high-pitched tone or ringing, hissing, humming, crickets, or cicadas. Sometimes it’s described as motor noise or even a helicopter noise.
Can tinnitus be treated?
There is no cure for tinnitus. If there’s an underlying treatable medical condition that’s causing the tinnitus, then it can be treated. For example, when some people get their ear canals cleared of wax, they no longer hear the tinnitus. More commonly, though, tinnitus develops due to sensorineural hearing loss, which is usually irreversible.
You can reach out to your hearing healthcare professional to determine the appropriate plan of care.
If tinnitus is bothersome, what are some ways to manage it?
The key to living better with tinnitus is to reduce the stress response. The stress response causes disruptions to sleep and concentration and can affect mood. It’s activated by perceived threat. Tinnitus can be consciously or subconsciously threatening because of concerns about what is causing it, if it will get worse, and about how intrusive it is.
You can reduce the stress response by learning what tinnitus is and, more importantly, what it isn’t. Relaxation exercises and therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy can also help. Additionally, listening to low-level sounds can help reduce the contrast between the internal sound of tinnitus and the external sounds in the environment.
Does the ringing get louder?
Tinnitus can get louder over time, but that’s most likely related to changes in your hearing. Reducing the contrast by using hearing aids or enriching your sound environment, can really help make tinnitus less noticeable.
Can service members remain on active duty if they have tinnitus?
Tinnitus doesn’t affect your ability to remain on active duty. Screening for bothersome tinnitus is part of the annual hearing test for those enrolled in the hearing conservation program. The purpose of the screening is to refer service members for follow-up care when needed.
There are a couple of types of phantom sounds that military and civilians can experience. A high-pitched tone that turns on suddenly in one ear and fades away within a few seconds to a few minutes is a phantom sound known as transient ear noise. It can be quite loud, but it is a normal occurrence and does not require a clinical evaluation. Tinnitus, on the other hand, can be an early warning sign of damage to the auditory system.
Regular and correct use of hearing protection devices, or earplugs, reduce the risk of hearing loss and reduce the risk of tinnitus. Tinnitus can be disruptive to sleep and concentration, but not always. It can make you feel irritable, anxious, or depressed.
What kind of treatment is available for tinnitus in the Military Health System?
Hearing aids are a good first step. Some places offer a program called Progressive Tinnitus Management, or PTM, which teaches coping strategies to help patients live better with tinnitus.
If your military hospital or clinic doesn’t offer PTM, a self-help version is available as part of the VA/DOD clinical practice guideline for tinnitus.
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Dr. Dang: Visual Disturbances Could be Eye Floaters
The small, visual disturbances you see floating in your vision could be eye floaters. Floaters are common, especially as we get older. This is due to parts of the vitreous (gel-like fluid in the eye) that start to shrink or get loosened up in the back of the eye. Since the vitreous is located between the lens and the retina, the clumps, or strands of loose vitreous, float around and their shadows are cast on the retina. Those shadows are commonly referred to as floaters.
What are some symptoms of eye floaters?
Floaters may appear in all shapes and sizes, varying from light to dark, and may move quickly as you try to follow them. Some may be more noticeable when looking at a white wall, or in bright light with a plain background. More serious symptoms may appear as flashes like lightning bolts or strong flashlights, especially in dim areas.
What should you do if you have eye floaters?
Regular eye exams are important, especially when new floaters are experienced. While these symptoms are painless and may not directly affect vision, they can be early signs of a retinal tear or detachment, which could lead to impaired vision. A sudden onset of flashes or multiple floaters would warrant an urgent exam to rule out a retinal tear or detachment.
Any specific duties in the military that can cause eye floaters? Side effects of blast injuries?
No specific duties directly lead to causing floaters; however, accidents or direct blunt trauma (including blasts) may cause issues that first appear as floaters.
If the eye floaters are messing up my vision, is there treatment?
Some surgeries can remove floaters; however, they aren’t without risk and are rarely recommended.
The first step is going to your primary eye care provider and explaining your symptoms.
How do eye floaters affect mission readiness?
Although floaters can be irritating, it would be very rare for them to affect the ability of a service member to perform their job or to be mission-ready.
The Defense Health Agency’s Vision Center of Excellence can provide more information about vision-related ailments, as well as resources for providers and service members.
U.S. Army Sgt. T.S. Ringer, appreciate the opportunity to connect you with experts to address your vision and hearing concerns. Now, you can connect with your doctor fueled with more knowledge. Stay safe out there and mission-ready.
| Date Taken: | 06.23.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.23.2025 12:07 |
| Story ID: | 501226 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Ask the Doc: Hearing Ringing, Seeing Floaters, What is This?, by Robert Hammer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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