I failed a hearing exam at work two years ago in my left ear. I have it in that ear. Went to a specialist. She said if it stops you are dead. So there is that. She also mentioned that if it is bad enough they have implants that make noise in your ear. It's almost unnoticed but it distracts your brain from hearing the ringing. It's only for extreme cases but it's out there. She even said you could program your own music into the implant!!