It might be a surprise to many people that roughly 20% of all ear infections happen to adults. The common idea is that ear infections are something that usually impact kids. And it’s true that ear infections are more prevalent in children, but they also happen frequently in adults.
For adults with hearing impairments or hearing loss, ear infections can be especially inconvenient, as they can interact with hearing aids in some uncomfortable ways. Additionally, when hearing aids aren’t properly maintained, they can become a vector for ear infection-causing diseases.
So, you may be wondering: Can I use hearing aids while I have an ear infection? You can, but it might not be something you want to do. Hearing aids could intensify the discomfort and inflammation caused by an ear infection. However, there are some steps that those who use hearing aids can take to help avoid and treat ear infection symptoms.
Can an ear infection be caused by hearing aids?
You may be wondering if your hearing aid is the cause of your ear infection if you’re an adult with hearing loss. Technically, the answer is no. But more nuance is needed to understand the complete story.
Almost all ear infections are caused by bacteria or a virus that gets into the ear. There are a wide range of vectors that can lead to infection. Often, a previous illness, such as a cold or sinus infection, will result in an infection of the inner ear. An infection may be caused by fluid buildup in other instances. It’s also completely feasible that a virus or bacteria directly infected the inner ear by physical transmission.
For individuals who use hearing aids, this can be a frequent occurrence. Your hearing aid collects this bacteria or virus and then gets inserted directly into your ear. Correct hearing aid cleaning and maintenance is essential for this reason. Essentially, the hearing aid itself doesn’t cause the ear infection, the virus or bacteria does. But your device may play a role in transmission.
How ear infections interact with hearing aids
So what is the level of interaction between hearing aids and ear infections? To know what to expect, it’s useful to look at the most prevalent symptoms of an ear infection. Here are some of the most prevalent symptoms of ear infections:
- Fluid draining from the ear
- In some situations, temporary hearing loss
- Tinnitus (a ringing in the ears)
- Ear pressure or a feeling of fullness
- Ear pain
- Swelling and inflammation
- Vertigo or dizziness
Not everybody will suffer from every symptom, of course. Usually, you will have obvious swelling of the inner ear and ear pain in the infected ear. These symptoms can have an adverse interaction with hearing aids for individuals with hearing loss. That’s because your hearing aid will most likely (at least in part) reside within the ear canal. Your hearing aids could cause added soreness as they aggravate the tender inflamed infected ear.
Also, with a hearing aid that sits primarily inside the ear canal, fluid drainage can be blocked. Your infection and discomfort might last longer if fluid is trapped in your ear. The pain and pressure in your ears will be increased because of this. When you are wearing your hearing aid, pressure can be even more unpleasant.
The functionality of your hearing aid can also be impacted by the excess moisture. So your ears are in more pain and your hearing aid isn’t really working as well as it should. Which means that wearing hearing aids when you have an ear infection can be an absolutely miserable time.
Solutions to wearing hearing aids with an ear infection
So what can you do if your hearing aids are annoying you while you have an ear infection? There are a number of steps you can take to reduce your risk of getting ear infections and to manage the discomfort that an ear infection may cause. Those steps include the following:
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: You can take a break from your hearing aids for a while if you have severe or lasting pain. During this time off, you can pursue other ways of communicating with your loved ones (like texting or writing messages on a piece of paper, and so on).
- Practice good ear hygiene: It’s important to keep your ears clean and dry and regularly clean your outer ear. Do not try to stick anything in your ear, however, including cotton swabs. With a cotton swabs, your chance of developing an ear infection increases because you could jam earwax and debris further up into your ear canal. This is the exact opposite of what you’re likely attempting to accomplish.
- Regularly clean your hearing aids: Making sure your devices are clean can help to ensure they aren’t transferring bacteria and viruses to your ears (or, at least, that it occurs less frequently.) If you don’t know how to clean and disinfect hearing aids, talk to us for a quick tutorial.
- Talk to your healthcare provider: You should speak with your doctor sooner than later if you think you may be developing an ear infection. Treating a hearing aid as soon as possible will reduce the risk of it becoming severe or prolonged.
- Talk to your hearing specialist: Consider coming in to have your hearing aid re-fit if your ear infection goes away but your hearing aid is still uncomfortable.
You probably depend heavily on your hearing aid every day. They help you navigate your world more easily and have better communication with your friends and family. Which means that these little devices can often be hard to give up, even for a short time. However, you will have a speedier recovery from your ear infection if you take a break from wearing them until you heal up. That means you can get back to enjoying what you hear faster.
Ear infections are relatively common. But you should still seek treatment if you notice symptoms. If you have questions about how ear infections might impact your hearing aid use, give us a call today.
