Tinnitus

Tinnitus is the perception of sound - most commonly ringing, buzzing, or hissing - without a corresponding external source. It can be continuous or intermittent, uni- or bilateral, and ranges from mild background nuisance to severely disabling. Tinnitus is often associated with hearing loss, noise exposure, or other conditions, and it frequently co-occurs with hyperacusis and noise sensitivity. In accessibility practice, tinnitus matters for sound-design decisions (avoiding persistent high-pitched tones in interfaces), for captioning and audio description choices, and as one of several conditions under the broader noise-sensitivity umbrella.