Yesterday i was at an ear, nose and throat specialist. My main issue was sinus related which may need surgery. No biggie, been there b4. However while i was there i happened to mention that ive been having a few problems with my hearing. To cut a long story short he decided to give me a series of hearing tests. The result is that i have some major degeneration going on. I had noticed in the last few months that if im in a room and people starting clapping or cheering that my right ear would basically go deaf. The specialist had a chart for me to look at. When tested with all the differrent tones (bass to high treble) as soon as the notes were fairly high both of my ears started to not function as well as they should be. I have to get retested after a year to see how much more they have been effected in that time frame. He did say that it seems to be a genetic thing as grandparents had problems with their hearing. HOWEVER he did state that my prolonged exposure to high, loud playing has definetly sped up any process thats going on. SO much so that im years ahead in degeneration of where i should be. I just wanted to warn people that ears are a delicate thing and to think before playing in a smaller enclosed room with those louder whistles (overtons etc). Its like smoking for alot of people. You know its bad for you but you dont take action until there is an actual problem staring you in ther face.
My next step will be to buy some pro ear plugs used by musicians that dampen the noise but dont change the clarity as much as cheap one.
Please can you say which instruments you play?
Thank You
I expect that this is a widespread problem. I see it often in sound people–the person who manages the sound board. Often times their hearing is so far gone that he/she feels the need to crank the volume to levels that will damage the others around them. This is much more an issue with amplification, but I can see it a problem with louder instruments. My first line of defense is some tissue in the ears. Earplugs (the cheap kind) tend to make me dizzy or nauseous, so if it is that loud, I leave (and have).
I also tend to wear gloves even when it is only slightly chilly. I find that keeping my hands warm really helps keep away any minor aches and creakiness.
- Bill
When I did noise dosimeter tests of me playing alone in my living room, I got levels of about 94 decibels(using an Oak or Hoover whitecap). At that level, anything over 4 hours a day would be getting into an area likely to cause hearing loss. That being said, when I play at a session at a friends house, I am usually drowned out by the fiddles, guitars, mandolins etc.
The sessions typically only have 5 or 6 people. I never measured the volume level, but I would guess it to be at least 97. I wouldn’t want to expose my hearing to that level for more than about 2 hours.
Get your hearing rechecked after you solve the sinus problem. A simple cold can cause a 20 decibel drop in your hearing. Also, noise induced hearing loss often starts as a temporary shift that only becomes permanent after prolonged exposure. Think about when you get in your car in the morning and are rocked back by the volume when it is at the same level you left it at the night before.
Angelo
i play overtons as my main high d and a chieftain tunable low d . At the time my ears were checked my sinuses werent infected. I went to the specialist as he thinks it might be an anatomical reason that they dont drain and i get so many infections. Next step is off to have a ct scan. Will definately be happy when its all taken care of. 
ITC - you might want to stop playing until after the specialists get done with their investigation.
It is fairly common among players of amplified or bowed string instruments to have this problem, but on discovering loss a doctor can do a great deal to help heal the damaged hearing.
I used teach fiddle and it was very common to find students produce vibrations that affect the ear but could not be heard; IOW the frequencies are so high you don’t hear them BUT the volume so high it does damage.
Amplifiers where gain is excessive and short string leingth on the tailpiece side of a bridge of a bowed stringed instrument as well as bad setup and/or real bad bow thechnique can and does permanently deafen people. You’d imagine that a professional would know when there is danger, but it is shocking to learn that often they don’t.
The telltale signs are mishearing things as normal levels, having to turn the volume up on your home audio and hearing noises in your ears when there is nothing there, eg pops and or ringing sounds.
A study of people with Tinitus - a closely related condition - showed that many folks were not suffering from playing violin but -alamingly- because they sat for long periods near a computer which projected high pitched sounds!
So it could be a computer causing the problem.
:0)
Hang in there Buddy! -Tal 
I just started the violin and the very first thing I noticed was that, while it seemed REALLY loud to me, the roommates in other rooms couldn’t hear a thing. After about 15 minutes, I realized it was because the thing is SO CLOSE to that left ear. So now, I rosin up the bow, tune the fiddle and put an earplug in that left ear. Hopefully, that will save some hearing over the long run.
I wear earplugs on all public transportation (subways are VERY loud), at all but the quietest accoustic concerts, and pretty much every movie–the theaters turn the volume WAY up, far louder than most people realize. I’ve been in sessions where I didn’t have my earplugs and frankly, I don’t know how ANYONE can take it. I love the whistle but it does go up high and those notes pierce. I won’t even MENTION being around a bagpipe band…or live big band with all those horns…
Anyway, I find that low-level (say 20 or 25 decibles) earplugs just slightly mute the sound; you can still hear everything just fine! I never got anywhere without them.