Ear examination

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Ear anatomy

Medical findings based on ear anatomy

Otoscopic exam of the ear

Overview

Risks

Results

Ear examination

Alternative Names:

Otoscope

What the risks are:

If the ear speculum is not disinfected, an infection can be spread from one ear to the other.

Special considerations:

Not all ear problems can be detected by looking through an otoscope. Additional ear and hearing tests may be needed.

In the case of otoscopes designed for use in the home, they are lower quality than the ones providers use, and parents may not be able to recognize some of the subtle signs of an ear problem. If symptoms of severe ear pain, hearing loss, dizziness, fever, ringing in the ears, or ear discharge or bleeding are present, see the health care provider.

Earwax is a normal protective secretion of the ear canal. It is not dangerous and should not be removed by putting an object into the ear. There are several products available at drugstores that dissolve or soften the earwax so that it may be flushed out gently with warm water.

Review Date: 1/23/2005
Reviewed By: Kevin Fung, M.D., FRCS(C), Department of Otolaryngology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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