​Add hearing health to your primary healthcare

​Emergencies: ​If you have any of the problems listed below, please get medical help right away

1. If any part of your hearing aid, like the eartip, gets stuck in your ear, and you can’t easily remove it with your fingers. You should not try to use tweezers or cotton swabs because they can push the part farther into your ear, injuring your eardrum or ear canal

2. If you had a fall, even if your hearing seems to be fine, check for traumatic brain injury.

3. Any other conditions that could seriously harm your hearing

Know your risks that are fixed

• Age above 60: Over 65% have hearing loss due to degenerative changes pre-existing ear conditions, chronic illnesses, noise exposure, use of ototoxic medicines and lifestyles

• Gender (male): Lower estrogen levels (compared to females) lowers hearing protection, involvement in more activities linked to hearing loss risk

• Race (Caucasian): Lower melanin pigmentation in cochlea which is linked to hearing loss risk

• Menopause: Due to decreasing estrogen levels that lower hearing protection

• Prior infections:  Frequent ear infections, meningitis

• Genetic conditions: Usher’s syndrome, Hunter’s, Friedreich’s ataxia, Meniere’s disease

• Ear conditions: Otosclerosis, Meniere’s disease

• Prior head trauma: From sports, accidents

• Prior falls: With head impact

• Bell's Palsy: Neurological facial disorder that can cause hearing loss

Control conditions that you can manage

• Hypertension: Can cause lower blood flow to cochlea

• Diabetes: Can cause nerve damage in ear

• Dental disease, infection: Inflammation can lower blood flow to cochlea

• Pregnancy: Noise can travel through skin to harm baby's hearing, low birth weight that can also weaken baby's hearing

• Vaccination: Can prevent diseases such as rubella, meningitis, mumps, measles and COVID that can cause hearing loss

• Smoking, vaping, second-hand smoke, excessive alcohol: Damage to transmission of auditory signals by the ear and processing by brain​

Prepare for doctor visits

• When choosing a doctor, check qualifications and background, location of office and policies, appointment flexibilities

• ENT specialists have a medical school degree for treating disorders of the 'Ear', experts for the Red Flag Symptoms

• Audiologists are trained to check hearing loss and assist with prescription (not OTC) hearing aid fitting

• Pharmacists can provide information on prescribed and OTC medications

Make the most of your doctor visit

• Make sure you hear. Wear your hearing aids and request the doctor to face you when speaking

• Make a list of your symptoms, prescription and OTC medicines, supplements, vaccinations, health habits, major life events (like head injuries, accidental loud noise exposures, emergency room visits) 

• Prepare a few questions you would like to ask, for example, ototoxic medications, OTC drops for earwax

• Take notes or ask for written materials

• Discuss options to meet your needs like public resources, self-care tips

• Bring someone if you need to for support, back-up

Ask about treatment options for hearing-related or other chronic illnesses affecting hearing

• What are the specific benefits for my condition?

• What are the risks, how frequent are they, how can I detect them and how can I manage them?

• How soon should treatment start? How long will it last?

• Are there other treatments available?

• How much will the treatment cost? Will my insurance cover it?​