Impacted ear wax will cause temporary hearing loss, and busy GP surgeries do not always have time to help deal with it.
Hidden Hearing, the country’s hearing healthcare specialists, are offering free checks and ear wax removal for the month of November, so Christmas celebrations can be loud and clear.
Wax irrigation and micro suction services will be available by appointment, at over 80 Hidden Hearing clinics countrywide, and can be made by calling 1800-882884, or on the website, www.hiddenhearing.ie/ear-wax-
Symptoms of hard or impacted earwax can include sudden or partial hearing loss, tinnitus, a feeling of fullness in the ear, or earache. It is also difficult to perform a proper hearing test when there is a build-up of earwax.
Either manual wax irrigation or micro-suction are pain-free procedures, completed in minutes, according to Hidden Hearing’s Dolores Madden, audiologist and group Marketing Director.
Micro-suction is a safe and quick method of ear wax removal, also used to remove foreign bodies from the ear canal, the hearing specialist says.
“This simple and effective treatment uses a medical suction device and a microscope to see directly into the ear canal, and no liquids are needed at all.”
Wax acts as a self-cleaning service for ears, protecting the sensitive ear canal from things like bacteria and debris that can cause infection.
“Never put anything in your ear, and, if you are bothered by the feeling of a blockage, just talk to a hearing specialist,” the Hidden Hearing audiologist advises.
Apart from damaging the sensitive inner ear, cotton buds, finger tips or hair grips can cause impacted wax, as can regular use of bud earphones, earplugs and even hearing aids, it seems.
Always check up on any hearing loss, is the specialists’ advice, and look out for free earwax removal during November at Hidden Hearing, as that often can cause hearing difficulty.
Singer Daniel O’Donnell backs the new Hidden Hearing campaign that aims to educate the public on the importance of taking care of their hearing, just as they would look after their teeth, eyesight, blood pressure or cholesterol.
Heart health, dementia, diabetes, and other serious illness has been linked to hearing loss. Treatment, including the use of hearing aids, can be a preventative factor, protecting against the progression of certain disease, particularly in older adults.