One of this year’s most critically acclaimed movies has been the romantic musical disguised as a car-chase thriller: Baby Driver. While audiences have marvelled at the range and standard of the film’s eclectic and marvellous soundtrack, it hides a far deeper and darker reasoning for the range of music played.
One of the main stars of the film is a getaway driver who suffers from tinnitus as a result of a childhood accident. The soundtrack to the film is based on the salvational soundtrack to his life that he creates in order to drown out the constant distraction of the debilitating condition.
Tinnitus can manifest itself in a variety of noises, but is often described as a ringing, whistling or buzzing within the ear when there is no other source of sound. It can develop as a result of damage to the tiny hairs that act as sensory receptors within the ears. This damage is most often caused by exposure to loud noise; either over a long period of time, or exposure to extremely loud noise over a shorter period of time.
According to Dr LaGuinn Sherlock, a clinical audiologist currently researching the effects of tinnitus on concentration, tinnitus can be described using the analogy of a dark room: “Picture a dark room, if you add one candle to the room you’ll notice it straight away. However if you light a candle in a room already full of light, it is less noticeable.” In essence, tinnitus is a sense of noise that fills a missing gap, even when there is nothing to cause it.
It is important to remember that once the hairs within the ear are damaged, they do not grow back like regular hairs found elsewhere on the body, and as such there is currently no actual cure for tinnitus, although there are a range of treatments; many of which use distraction from the noise as a remedy. This can be in the form of music, or in some cases even white noise can be less distressing than the constant ringing, buzzing or whistling.
If you or someone you care for suffers from tinnitus and it can be attributed to your employment, it is quite possible that you could make a claim for compensation. Employers have a duty to protect the health and welfare of their employees and that includes ensuring that they do not suffer from hearing damage as a result of their employment. There are a range of simple measures at employers’ disposal that can reduce the risk of hearing damage, and if your employer failed to recognise the risk, or failed to carry out suitable safety procedures, then you can make a claim. Contact us today to find out how w can help you get the payout you deserve.