Starise
That's at least a positive step in the right direction Sharke. I have had tinnitis for years.
My hearing has been checked to be perfect but I have this ringing tone going on in the back ground.
In my case it is a little weird. The tone itself seems to be coming from an area inside the center back of my head and not related to either ear, IOW it must be somehow in the grey matter connected to my auditory system.
.....could have been that alien implant too.;P
I have read that caffeine can cause or contribute to tinittus...can't confirm that but I would definitly qualify there.
There are many causes and forms of tinnitus which is why a cure is so elusive. Mine's an extremely high pitched sound like escaping gas, in both ears but louder in the right. It's quite loud when all is quiet but I don't notice it much during the day. I'm pretty sure mine is noise damage related because it's exactly like the kind of ringing you experience after a loud gig. There might be some brain damage related too because I had some recreational drug use in the 90's (and I would always have a loud ringing the next day, the kind of ringing you get when you've been smashed over the head, which is I guess pretty much what taking drugs is akin to). Some people actually have a noise sounding in their ear which can be heard by someone else in quiet conditions.
Caffeine and alcohol definitely make it worse (not on a permanent basis, but getting loaded up on caffeine certainly makes mine more intense for the duration of the caffeine effect). Marijuana is another thing that can make it worse, although researchers are not sure whether or not that isn't just because sufferers notice it more when stoned).
I've had it for at least 15 years and it gets me down for a while every 2 or 3 years or so - for 95% of the time though I just totally ignore it. Even so, I'd love more than anything to see a cure, because one of the hardest parts about having it is the though that total silence is impossible. I can't even remember what total silence is like! We have definitely screwed our collective ears over the past 20 or 30 years, what with the increase in volume at rock concerts, clubs, and our obsession with music on headphones. However going by certain things I've read over the last couple of years, I'm reasonably confident that a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus is on the horizon.