The truth behind Otomycosis(Ear Fungus), protect ears in this humid weather-Sazia Jindal
Sazia Jindal/ July 15,2025
Blocked ear doesn’t always mean that water is inside, it sometimes can indicate ear fungus and it is way more common than we think.
Ear fungus also known as otomycosis are very common especially in humid environments. I asked Dr. Saurabh Kansal who is an ENT specialist about the reasons behind it. He told that it is very common in humid environments and especially among those who swim often. I asked a patient, the patient replied that ear fungus problem started after she went to a water park. Since everybody is swimming in water. So being there obviously is unhygienic and that water goes inside ear which may cause ear fungus. Talking about symptoms of ear fungus then patients complain that their ear suddenly got blocked, they felt pain, there was a feeling of fullness in ear, temporary hearing reduction due to blockage or swelling, itching, ringing or buzzing type sound in the ear.
Talking about treatment of this, then one must use antifungal eardrops and get ears cleaned by a good doctor with suction machine which is generally painless. Suction machines gently pull out the fungus from inside one’s ear. Think of it like a vacuum machine is cleaning a mat. Such machine helps clean the infection deeply more than drops alone can. It would also reduce blockage and pain. After that the doctor may apply medicine seal your ear for some time. So that oxygen or water doesn’t go inside. Usually antifungal medicines, if required then anti bacterial medicine, painkillers are also prescribed by the doctor. So that the fungus doesn’t come back. Patients facing this must not any water go inside the ear, and they themselves must not poke earbuds or anything.
Now a question arises, how to prevent ear fungus? So to prevent ear fungus one must try to keep ears clean. An advice which I would like to give is that whenever one goes for swimming or visits water park, one must use ear plugs, so that water doesn’t go inside. Good earplugs would prevent water from going inside. Also, one must visit doctor for regular checkup at least once in six months. It is advisable to keep ears dry. One must avoid inserting any kind of objects in the ear or scratching the ear unnecessarily.
Lastly, we must aware ourselves. Ear health is generally overlooked. Knowledge about ear fungus is very limited. But in reality ear fungus is very common. We must take care of our ear. It is nothing to worry much. It’s just that one must try to prevent it and if problem occurs then without delay visit doctor, it is completely curable. But one must keep in mind to take proper medicines and also do not procrastinate any doctor visits! Awareness, hygiene, and early medical attention remain the key to preventing recurrence.
NOTE: The views expressed by the writer are personal.
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