William Shatner opens up about ‘ups and downs’ of living with permanent hearing loss

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William Shatner is speaking out about the difficulties of living with tinnitus.

The primary causes of the condition, also known as permanent hearing loss, are age and exposure to loud sounds, according to Health Canada.

The Canadian actor, 94, was diagnosed in the ‘90s long after filming on the Star Trek set, but noted that his tinnitus has worsened as he has gotten older.

“My own journey with tinnitus started when I was filming a Star Trek episode called ‘Arena,’ and I was too close to the special effects explosion, and the result was that I was left with permanent tinnitus,” Shatner shared in a new video for the nonprofit Tinnitus Quest, which aims to raise money for research aimed at finding a cure or treatment for the condition.

“And over the years, I’ve had many ups and downs with my tinnitus, and I know from firsthand experience just how difficult it can get,” Shatner continued.

The Boston Legal actor also said in the video that “about 1% to 2% of the population suffer from a chronic, debilitating form of tinnitus” and “there are no effective treatments” for it.

“The more money we can raise for Tinnitus Quest, the quicker we can find a solution to help the millions of people suffering,” Shatner added.

“Thank you so much for watching, and I hope you will consider donating to Tinnitus Quest.”

Most people who have mild hearing loss aren’t even aware they have it, according to Health Canada, which notes that in a study that looked at hearing loss among people in Canada between the ages of 40 and 79, 8% of men and 5% of women self-reported hearing impairment.

However, when researchers measured the hearing of participants in the study, they found that 63% of men and 46% of women had measurable hearing loss.

The T.J. Hooker star previously spoke candidly about his condition in an interview with E! News, recalling in an interview when he realized he had tinnitus and how it has impacted his life.

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“I was on the beach and it’s a vivid moment, and you know how the waves go out — the wave comes in [roars] and then it goes ‘ssss’ [as it] goes out. All of a sudden, I kept hearing a ‘ssss’ even though there was another wave coming. And that’s how I discovered [I had tinnitus],” he explained.

Shatner went to the doctor who said “it might not” get worse, the actor knew.

“But of course it does as you age,” he said.

Shatner said he eventually got used to the sound, explaining, “your brain starts to assimilate the sound, like it would if you were living beside an airport,” but admitted that it can be overwhelming at times.

“Sometimes it’s really bad, but I know it’s not going to kill me.”