Idiopathic tinnitus concomitant with eye closure.

OBJECTIVE

To describe 2 patients presenting with idiopathic tinnitus concomitant with eye closure.

STUDY

DESIGN

Clinical capsule report.

SETTING

University hospital.

PATIENTS: Two patients presented with intermittent tinnitus synchronous with eye closing or blinking. Otoscopic examination revealed inward movement of tympanic membranes concomitantly with eye blinking or eye closure in 1 patient. Neither patient had facial nerve disease or myoclonus.

INTERVENTIONS: Compliance in impedance audiometry was recorded.

RESULTS

Compliance in impedance audiometry was reduced during eye blinking and eye closure in both cases. The tinnitus was attributed to muscular tinnitus via stapedial muscle contraction during eye closure.

CONCLUSION

These are the rare 2 reported patients presenting with idiopathic muscular tinnitus concomitant with eye closure. The reductive change of compliance in impedance audiometry during tinnitus coincident with eye closure is a feature of this form of tinnitus. We suggest evaluation of compliance change in impedance audiometry to be a key examination in patients with stapedial muscular tinnitus concomitant with eye closure.