Is my vertigo problem due to hearing loss?
Senior Specialist & Head,
Department of Otolaryngology,
Ibri Regional Referral Hospital,
Sultanate of Oman
Q: I am 23 years old, I have a severe ear problem. I am 99% deaf by my left ear (as per audiometry test). The doctors say that it can't be cured. I am also facing benign positional vertigo from the past 6 years, which was very mild when it started. But now it comes after 1 month for a few seconds. I used to take tablets arlidin and vertin 8 mg for my vertigo problem. My CT scan report of all auditory canal is normal but there are some subtle soft fluids seen on the right canal. As per the report it seems to be Mastoiditis. My doctor says that my left ear can't be cured and I will face hearing problems in my left ear forever. Is there any treatment for this? Can I use ear phones to hear news, radio, songs, etc? Will my vertigo problem get cured by the medicines mentioned above or by some eye exercises? I don't have any head injury.
A:Well a hearing loss of the kind that you have is essentially the one that affects the nerves of hearing and balance. You have to understand that really there is no cure for it, medically or surgically. Mastoiditis in your case is just a CT diagnosis and I don't think you need to worry about that at all. Just take care of your hearing in the other ear by avoiding loud noises, loud sounds, antibiotics, ear drops and other medications, unless advised by the doctor. There are some exercises for adaptation which can be easily acquired from any ENT specialist. You will benefit considerably from these exercises.