Stephen Mabbutt Could Hear His Eyeballs Move, Heart Beat

Imagine going through life, having difficulty hearing what was going on around you because your eyeballs were making too much noise.

That's something like what Stephen Mabbutt was experiencing. He had to have surgery to keep from hearing his eyeballs and his heartbeat, according to the BBC.

"When I raised my voice I could hear it reverberating in my head and the vibrations made my vision vibrate," Mabbutt told the BBC. "Eventually I could hear my heart beating and my eyes moving in their sockets. It was really distracting."

Mabbutt was diagnosed with a rare disease called superior canal dehiscence syndrome.

"Sleep was pretty much impossible with the beating of my heart and the scratching of my eyes," Mabbutt told The Sun. "It was like trying to drop off with a noisy workshop in my head."

After the surgery, Mabbutt said he feels much better. according to The Daily Mail.

"You cannot believe what a relief it is," he said.

Comments

[turlockgirl24]

05:51 PM on 08/04/2011

eyes are in the window to ur soul and heart

[whoosher]

11:46 AM on 08/04/2011

There is a name for the symptom of "hearing your heartbeat" -- it's pulsatile tinnitus, a rare form of tinnitus that is distinguishable from the regular, more common form of tinnitus. As the piece suggests, there are treatments for this and many other causes of pulsatile tinnitus, but the trick is finding the underlying cause. It would help all pulsatile tinnitus patients if articles like this would properly identify the symptom! There is more information about pulsatile tinnitus and its many possible underlying causes, including the one highlighted in this piece, at Whooshers.com

[Tom Servo]

07:50 PM on 08/03/2011

I've had hangovers that bad but, they went away, eventually. What a horror.

[wegugin]

08:24 AM on 08/03/2011

Reminds me of the 'Tell-Tale Heart'.

[Content of Character]

08:14 AM on 08/03/2011

Hmmm.....I see what you're saying.

[mmkay]

05:53 AM on 08/03/2011

Steve you need more oil in you diet. Cold-pressed olive oil is a great start.

[Michael Surratt]

04:36 AM on 08/03/2011

Did the author have somewhere important to be, and just say f it good enough?

[Melinda Kabat]

03:01 AM on 08/03/2011

Sure his disease sounds funny & fake, but I'm sure if you had it you would think differently. While I don't have the same disease as this guy, I can sympathize with what he went through as the disease I have shares some of his same symptoms. It's easy to make fun of others, but try to remember that old saying "don't judge someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes."

[shaftytim]

02:24 AM on 08/03/2011

wow- thanks for taking such a potentially interesting topic and giving it absolutely no content.

no definition of the sydrome, no mention of the treatment.... c'mon- this is amateur hour.

[binarystar]

02:18 AM on 08/03/2011

one time i did too much coke and that happened to me. AND i couldn't sleep!

[European1919]

01:57 AM on 08/03/2011

Never heard of this strange disease before. Fun on a temporary basis (chemicals *wink, wink*) but surely an absolute nightmare when having to deal with it on a daily basis.
I'm glad they could help him back into normalcy.

[BlackYowe]

01:53 AM on 08/03/2011

Wow sounds like something out of a science fiction novel or horror story.

[KJLSanDiego]

01:44 AM on 08/03/2011

They did this on Grey's Anatomy with Demi Lovato!
It looked horrible to deal with!
I'm glad there is a cure, though!

[KJLSanDiego]

01:46 AM on 08/03/2011

Also, sometimes I can hear blinking, is that something?

[clabberty]

07:34 AM on 08/03/2011

I can hear myself pee - is that important?

[Eileenla]

01:38 AM on 08/03/2011

Poor guy...glad someone was able to help!

[Tom Servo]

07:51 PM on 08/03/2011

very compassionate comment.

[bloggomatic]

01:24 AM on 08/03/2011

Woa thats effing weird :o