Can a loud sound cause irreversible hearing loss?

Hello doctor,

I want to know about potential hearing damage. Yesterday, I was passing by a person in the street who suddenly whistled what felt very loud to me. I have hyperacusis and always tend to cover my ears near sources of loud noises. I managed to react this time, but a bit too late, as that was a short whistle, and I think I have heard the entirety of it. I have not experienced any immediate pain or other negative effects directly at that moment. Now, I might be imagining things, but I felt some sort of fullness in my ears after the event, and some of it was still there the next day. I cannot tell whether I lost some hearing because I can still hear music and voices at my habitual volume levels, but there is some kind of muffling that does not go away. The mere possibility of hearing damage terrifies me, as I am a musician, and this means literally everything to me. Could hearing a very loud whistle for several seconds really cause irreversible hearing loss, or are the effects temporary or psychosomatic?

Thank you.

Hello doctor,

Thanks for the reply.

I have done an audiological test in the meantime, and it did not show any changes to my hearing since I did it last time, so there has not been any damage. Some ringing remains; hopefully, it will go away.

Thanks.