Ear
What is the best way to clean my ears?
This is one of the most common questions heard by hearing healthcare specialists. The purpose of cerumen, or earwax, is to lubricate, clean, and protect the ear canal from bacteria, insects, and other foreign objects. For the most part, ears clean themselves. Cerumen typically works its way out of the ear canal naturally like a “conveyor belt” with assistance from jaw movement such as talking and chewing. People who wear hearing aids are sometimes more susceptible to earwax buildup. Having a hearing aid in the ear all day, every day, can prevent the earwax from working its way out on its own. When earwax accumulates and blocks the ear canal, it can cause problems such as pain, itching, fullness, odor, drainage, and additional hearing loss.
If you do have excessive earwax DO NOT clean your ears with cotton swabs. Cotton swabs often push the earwax deeper into the canal which can be dangerous. The best way to treat excessive cerumen is to place a few drops of mineral oil into the ear for 1-2 minutes to help soften the earwax. Then, with your head tilted to the side, use an eyedropper to fill the ear with 3% hydrogen peroxide and let it sit for about one minute. This will “bubble” out the earwax that is present. For stubborn cerumen impactions, it may be necessary to see a professional to have it removed. Your professional can then determine the best course for long-term management.
What is Otosclerosis?
Otosclerosis is a disorder of bone metabolism that affects only the ear.
The bone where the inner ear and the third hearing bone (stapes) meet is called the oval window. This is where otosclerosis affects the ear. Bone is constantly being broken down and rebuilt by our body. In otosclerosis, the rate of rebuilding is increased resulting in the formation of new bone at the oval window.
What symptoms are caused by otosclerosis?
Hearing loss is the main symptom.
Unlike many problems with the ear that can cause hearing loss, ear drainage, infections, or dizziness, otosclerosis mainly causes hearing loss. Sometimes the hearing loss is accompanied by tinnitus (ringing in the ear or head noise). The hearing loss is usually conductive, meaning sound is blocked from reaching the inner ear. The inner ear, hearing nerve, and brain often process the limited sound that reaches them completely normally.
People affected by otosclerosis are usually born with normal hearing. They may develop hearing loss in their 20s but this can occur from teens to midlife. Women are more commonly affected than men.
HOW DID I GET OTOSCLEROSIS?
Otosclerosis is inherited from your parents.
The pattern of inheritance is autosomal dominance. This means that if one parent has it, the children have a 50% chance of getting it. However, there is variable penetrance. This means that if you get the gene, you are only at risk for otosclerosis. There is no guarantee of hearing loss. The trigger may be a viral infection, such as measles. Although measles vaccine protects against contracting measles symptoms, it does not protect against triggering otosclerosis.
WILL OTOSCLEROSIS CAUSE DEAFNESS?
Deafness from otosclerosis is unlikely.
Because it typically only blocks the conduction of sound, there is a limit to the hearing loss that it can cause. It will progress until the hearing bones are completely stuck. At this point hearing loss is around 50%. It commonly does affect both ears in two out of three cases. Rarely, it progresses from the oval window into the inner ear. This is called cochlear otosclerosis. In these cases, it decreases processing of sound in the inner ear as well. In these instances, hearing loss is more severe.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE OTOSCLEROSIS?
If you have hearing loss, you need to first have a hearing test to find the cause.
A otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat specialist) will provide a hearing test and evaluation. They will examine your ear to check for other causes of hearing loss and evaluate your ability to hear a tuning fork to further differentiate your hearing loss.