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.
Continue reading “What causes sudden inner ear damage?”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.
Continue reading “Blink Turns: An exercise to tame blurred vision”Sudden inner ear damage
Sudden damage to one inner ear causes severe dizziness and can also cause imbalance and difficulty with focusing the eyes. Unilateral vestibulopathy is the technical name for this problem; unilateral indicates that the process affects one ear, and vestibulopathy is a general term referring to disease of the vestibular system. The process is acute, meaning that it came on abruptly. Some people also lose hearing as they lose balance function. Ringing in the ear (tinnitus) can indicate hearing loss.
Continue reading “Sudden inner ear damage”
Ending Vertigo Today 