What causes sudden inner ear damage?

Viruses can damage the inner ear, usually by causing swelling or direct infection of the nerve leading to the ear.  Some viruses are especially attracted to nervous tissue, and these are the ones most likely to lead to this kind of damage.  There are many of these.  Enteroviruses—viruses that inhabit the bowels and are passed out through feces—are particularly common causes. 

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Blink Turns: An exercise to tame blurred vision

When an inner ear suddenly stops working, the first sign is seeing the room spin.  There’s another sign that is also very annoying and unsettling—the world can appear to shift in a blur when turning your head quickly.  Usually this just happens when you turn toward the bad ear.  If both ears are not working, this blurring can happen every time the head moves or even jiggles slightly.

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