A small acoustic neuroma may not cause any symptoms. As acoustic neuromas tend to grow slowly, your symptoms may develop gradually.
The growth rate for acoustic neuromas is around 1-2mm every year. However, they may not grow constantly, and there could be long periods when the tumour does not grow at all.
Symptoms of an acoustic neuroma include:
- hearing loss – this is the most common symptom and usually develops gradually in one ear, though in some cases it can develop suddenly or affect both ears
- tinnitus, which is the perception of noise in one ear or both ears that comes from inside the body rather than from an outside source – for example, you may hear ringing in your ears
- vertigo – the sensation that you or the environment around you is moving or spinning; you may feel the sensation of movement even when you are standing completely still
- facial numbness, tingling or pain, which can occur if the tumour (growth) begins to press on the nerve that controls feeling and sensation in you face (the trigeminal nerve). However, this is a rare symptom and could suggest another condition, such as a facial neuroma (a tumour growing on your facial nerve)
- headaches – this is a relatively rare symptom, although it can happen if the tumour blocks the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF – the fluid that surrounds your brain and protects it from trauma)
- temporary sight problems – this is rare and is also caused by a CSF blockage
- earache – this is another rare symptom
Hearing loss and tinnitus are the most common symptoms of acoustic neuroma and they usually only affect one ear. However, if you have acoustic neuroma caused by neurofibromatosis type 2 (a rare inherited condition, see Acoustic neuroma - causes), your symptoms may affect both ears.
Hearing loss is not necessarily worse for larger tumours. In some cases, particularly if your acoustic neuroma is caused by neurofibromatosis type 2, hearing loss may be worse on the side with the smaller tumour.
Progressive symptoms
If your acoustic neuroma is growing, the symptoms listed above may get worse as the tumour increases the pressure on your:
- vestibulocochlear nerve – also known as the acoustic nerve, it helps to control hearing and balance
- trigeminal nerve, which controls the feeling in your face.
If your acoustic neuroma presses on your brain stem (the lower part of your brain that attaches to your spinal cord) you may also experience:
- numbness in other parts of your body
- ataxia – a loss of physical co-ordination that affects your ability to do activities such as swallowing, speaking, walking or writing
