{"id":39,"date":"2019-08-04T21:20:54","date_gmt":"2019-08-04T13:20:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.entclinic.sg\/blog\/?p=39"},"modified":"2019-08-10T18:05:07","modified_gmt":"2019-08-10T10:05:07","slug":"my-ears-are-blocked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.entclinic.sg\/blog\/my-ears-are-blocked\/","title":{"rendered":"My ears are blocked!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blocked ears are a common problem that we often see in our clinic. There are a variety of reasons why someone may suffer from blocked ears. Some of these are fairly benign such as ear wax impaction but some of them may be due to a more serious cause such as sudden sensorineural hearing loss.<\/p>\n

Most often patients come to us when their ears are blocked after swimming. This is due to the effect of water on a wax. The wax expands and blocks the ear canal.<\/p>\n

Many general practitioners or family physicians will offer syringing for wax. This is a simple procedure where a small jet of water is directed into the ear canal to flush out ear wax. Whilst this is effective in a majority of cases, it is sometimes unsuccessful. In addition, patients with signs of an ear infection in addition to blockage, such as pain or discharge should not have syringing performed<\/p>\n

In The ENT Clinic, wax removal is performed using microsuction. A surgical microscope and fine suction catheters allows us to remove all wax accurately.<\/p>\n

Another common cause of ear blockage is fluid in the middle ear as a result of pressure changes sustained during flights or diving. This is called otitic barotrauma. <\/em>Often the patient has a cold when they fly or dive which prevents adequate equalisation of pressure in the middle ear.<\/p>\n

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Left ear showing fluid in the middle ear. The presence of air bubbles suggests that prognosis is good<\/span><\/p>\n

The fluid in the middle ear may take several days to clear. Often the use of decongestants and the Valsalva <\/em>manoeuvre helps. In some circumstances, surgical drainage of the fluid after making an incision in the ear drum (myringotomy<\/em>). A ventilation tube may then be inserted to keep the hole open and ventilate the middle ear. This tube is called a grommet<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The third and less common cause of sudden ear blockage is sudden sensorineural hearing loss. This is a medical emergency and treatment should be sort within 72 hours of onset. There is sometimes ringing or tinnitus<\/em> associated with this condition.<\/p>\n

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Blocked ears are a common problem that we often see in our clinic. There are a variety of reasons why someone may suffer from blocked ears. Some of these are fairly benign such as ear wax impaction but some of them may be due to a more serious cause such as sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Most often patients come to us when…
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