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Don'T Let Pollen Complicate Your Hearing Impairment

20 October 2016 by Clifford Ramos

Pollen is notorious for causing allergic reactions, but allergy isn't the only danger associated with exposure to allergens. Things like pollen, dust, and mold spores can also worsen an existing hearing impairment. Here are two ways in which this can happen.

Obstruction of the Ear Canal

Conductive hearing loss occurs when something obstructs the path followed by sound waves from the outer ear canal to the eardrum or middle ear. It so happens that allergic reactions can cause this obstruction; you will understand this better once you understand what happens when you develop allergic reactions.

Allergic reactions occur when your body's immune system attacks allergens that you have been exposed to. The body produces antibodies to fight the allergens using different chemicals, one of which is histamine. These chemicals are irritating to the body, causing the characteristic symptoms of allergic reactions such as itching, swelling, and fluid leakage. The swelling and flow of fluid then block your ear canal, making it difficult for sound waves to flow through.

Obstruction of the Microphone Ports

A typical hearing aid is designed with microphone ports that pick up the sounds before they are amplified and directed to your ears. The microphone ports consist of tiny holes that can easily be clogged by debris. In fact, this is one of the most delicate parts of a hearing aid, which is why it's advisable to turn the hearing aid upside down before cleaning the ports.

Unfortunately, the pollen particles are tiny enough to clog the ports. Therefore, if there is too much pollen in the air, they may get into the microphone ports and reduce their effectiveness.

What You Can Do About It

When it comes to the obstructed ear canals, the best thing to do is to reduce the severity of the allergic reactions. This will cause the swelling to subside and open up your ear canal. You can use your normal allergy medication or go to the emergency room if your symptoms seem particularly severe.

As for the obstruction of the microphone ports, cleaning the ports (a cleaning brush is usually provided with the hearing aids) may help you maintain the effectiveness of the ports. Take these measures to prevent the obstruction from happening in the first place:

• Recirculate the air inside your vehicle instead of allowing fresh air (that may contain allergens) from getting into the car.
• Reduce indoor humidity to reduce mold growth; mold spores can also block the microphone ports.
• Don't go out if a high pollen count is projected

For more personalized tips and information, talk to your audiologist and allergist. 

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