A MAN afflicted with a bizarre, rare condition where he heard his eyeballs move in their sockets has been cured with help from a Birmingham doctor.
Stephen Mabbutt was overcome with constant sounds from his eyeballs as well as his own heart beating.
After six years of problems, the 57-year-old, from Charlton, near Banbury, was finally diagnosed when he was referred to specialist Richard Irving who works at Birmingham Ear Clinic.
Mr Irving, a consultant surgeon at Edgbaston’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Birmingham Children’s Hospital, diagnosed superior canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS) and operated on Mr Mabbutt to cure him of the condition.
The medic cut a two inch incision behind the patient’s ear to reach the “balance organ” before sealing the defect with Mr Mabbutt’s own bone.
Mr Mabbutt, who had been finding it harder to hear the normal world around him due to the medical affliction, said: “It’s made a big difference to my life.
“When I raised my voice I could hear it reverberating in my head and the vibrations made my vision vibrate.
“Eventually I could hear my heart beating and my eyes moving in their sockets.
“It was really distracting,” added Mr Mabbutt.
“It was getting me down not knowing what it was and whether or not it could be cured. I feel like I’ve got a new lease of life. It’s an amazing difference.”
The patient had been prescribed nasal sprays and antibiotics by various GPs, but his hearing worsened and led to further issues including vibrations and hearing his eyes moving.
Birmingham-based eye doctor Mr Irving said: “SCDS means you hear all interior sounds of the body particularly loud. I’ve had a patient who fell over whenever they burst out laughing.
“Muscles that move the eyes are connected to the bones of the skull and there is an element of friction as these muscles move.
“Some patients, as their eyes move from side to side, hear that friction movement of the muscle as a noise in their ear.”
SCDS is a rare condition that affects only one in 500,000 people in the UK a year.
It was discovered by American surgeon Lloyd B Minor in 1995 and symptoms include balance issues and hearing loss.
