World Hearing Day 2024: 5 Expert Tips To Keep Your Ears Clean And Safe

World Hearing Day is observed on March 3 every year. This day aims to create awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss. It also tries to promote ear and hearing care across the world. Each year, WHO decides the theme for World Hearing Day and the theme for the year 2024 is "Changing mindsets: Let's make ear and hearing care a reality for all!". According to WHO, this them will focus on overcoming the challenges posed by societal misperceptions and stigmatizing mindsets through awareness-raising and information-sharing, targeted at the public and health care providers.

Cleaning ears is an important part of ear care. However, when not done properly, it can lead to unwanted injuries. To help keep your ears clean and safe, we've some tips from Dr. Vijay Verma, Consultant - Allergy & ENT Specialist at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram.

Tips to keep your ears clean and safe

1. Avoid using ear buds: Many times ear wax comes out on its own. It's critical to resist the impulse to clean your ears with earbuds or any other foreign object. The fragile ear drum and lining of the ear canal may sustain harm if something is inserted into the canal.

2. Be careful in the shower: Do not allow water to enter your ears when taking a shower. A moist environment caused by water retention can give a perfect environment for the bacteria and fungi to grow.  Use earplugs if required, or angle your head to drain the water immediately.

3. Seek professional help: It's critical to get immediate assistance from an ENT expert if you encounter any strange symptoms, such as discomfort, rapid changes in hearing, or heaviness in the ear. These symptoms could point to some underlying problems like nerve weakening or infection.

4. Practice gentle cleaning: It's best to speak with an ENT Doctor about safe and efficient ear cleaning techniques if there an accumulation of excess ear wax. However, it is best to let the expert remove the wax safely.

5. Minimise earphone use: Earphones can push wax deeper into the ear canal, raising the risk of infection and potentially leading to hearing loss.

Remember, any unusual symptom or pain may require immediate medical help. So, do not ignore these symptoms.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.