Online retailer Allearplugs.com are continuing to raise awareness for hearing loss with their Save Your Hearing Campaign. Hearing loss affects people all over the world. 1 in 6 people in the UK and 15 per cent of all American adults suffer some form of hearing impairment. This month, Save Your Hearing is focussing on swimmer’s ear – a painful and irritating condition that affects thousands of people around the world.
Around one in every ten UK people are affected by Otitis Externa at some point in their life, and in the US swimmer’s ear results in approximately 2.4 million healthcare visits per year and costs half a billion dollars in medical costs, with each visit costing as much as two hundred dollars. Though the condition is more common in those aged between 45 and 75 – and occurs more often in women than men – it really can hit anyone, especially those with pre-existing conditions such as eczema, asthma and allergic rhinitis.
The campaign aims to spread awareness of hearing loss across the globe, and to encourage people to think twice before they indulge in activities that cause hearing loss such as motorbikes, swimming and listening to music with the volume turned up. Hearing loss is irreversible, and Allearplugs.com is keen to encourage people to protect themselves, and to help raise awareness through the hashtag #saveyourhearing.
Swimming is an increasingly popular sport especially with the World Swimming Championships well underway and Rio 2016 soon approaching. Inspiring and encouraging people to lead a healthy lifestyle that incorporates swimming is a wonderful thing, but without the right gear people could be at risk of hearing conditions such as swimmer’s ear.
Symptoms of swimmer’s ear include itchiness and painful swelling around the area, pus draining, slight hearing loss as well as painful symptoms spreading down to the jaw in more extreme cases. The pain can be substantial, and make it difficult to manage day-to-day life.
Though swimmer’s ear can be treated by GPs, medication can take anywhere up to a week to start to take effect. As a result, preventative measures taken in advance are often the right course of action. Earplugs remain one of the most effective ways of preventing swimmer’s ear, offering a budget-friendly way to keep the ear canal clean of the chemicals found in most swimming pools.
Swimmer’s ear can affect both amateurs and professionals alike, and isn’t something to take likely, especially for those that like to swim frequently.
Rob Doole, managing director for Allearplugs.com, said: “Swimmer’s ear is annoying, irritating and at worst genuinely painful. It seems a shame that people are prevented from enjoying such a great way to exercise when it’s so easy to prevent the issue. We’ll be working hard to help raise awareness of the condition, and to help more and more people get in the pool!â€
Press release from Allearplugs.com
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