Video gamers worldwide may be risking irreversible hearing loss and/or tinnitus—persistent ringing/buzzing in the ears—finds a systematic review of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Public Health.

What evidence there is suggests that the sound levels reported in studies of more than 50,000 people often near, or exceed, permissible safe limits, conclude the researchers.

And given the popularity of these games, greater public health efforts are needed to raise awareness of the potential risks, they urge.

While headphones, earbuds, and music venues have been recognized as sources of potentially unsafe sound levels, relatively little attention has been paid to the effects of video games, including e-sports, on hearing loss, say the researchers.

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[–] Dvixen 39 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I've had tinnitus for decades, and it SUCKS. I've always been careful for my hearing, but after a concussion it arrived and never went away.

I play games with most sounds off. I can't use headphones, wearing them gives me a migraine no matter the volume.

I've had hearing tests, seen a specialist. I have no hearing loss, but I do have misaphonia and tinnitus. The combination is pure hell, there is no respite.

I can't distinguish voices in chats well enough to follow what's being said if more than one person is talking. It's even worse online when I can't lip read to decode what's being said.

Project your earholes.

[–] 2deck -2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Sorry to hear that

Can you drown out the tinnitus with more volume?

[–] Dvixen 4 points 8 months ago

Not as a rule, no. I end up with a bigger headache and more ringing.