You take your hearing aid out of your ear and see that the dome has not come out of the ear. Panic! Looking around quickly to see if the dome may have fallen to the ground is of no avail. You know for sure; it is left in my ear! You can read in this blog what to do in such a situation and the consequences of a remaining dome.
What to do?
First; do not worry! In principle, if there is a dome in your ear, that is not serious. It is important to have the dome removed. You can have this done by your doctor or ENT specialist, who can remove the dome with the right instruments without causing damage to your ear canal. Unfortunately, hearing care professionals are not authorized to remove objects from the ear. This should really be done by a general practitioner or ENT specialist! Do not try to root in your ear or remove the dome with an object; this can damage your ear canal!
Also, stop wearing the device until the dome is removed from the ear. Otherwise, there is a chance that the dome will be pushed deeper into the ear canal, making removal of the dome more difficult.
What will it look like if my dome is off?
On the right you see an example of a speaker without a dome and below that you can see examples of different domes. You may remember this when you went to buy your hearing aid. The dome should be on the blue piece at the end. If you cannot find the dome anywhere and you suspect it is in your ear, make an appointment with your doctor. They can look into your ear to see if the dome is indeed left in your ear.
What are the consequences?
If the dome remains in the ear, it is not immediately a disaster. However, it is harmful to the ear canal if the dome is left in place for a longer period of time. There is a chance that the ear canal will become infected and that can be very painful! An inflammation in the ear canal, also called acute otitis, can be recognized by the following symptoms:
- Pain in the ear
- A red, warm, swollen ear canal
- A feeling of fullness in the ear
- Loop ear and scabs
- Impaired hearing or even deafness
- Itching in the ear
In case of severe inflammation, permanent damage can even occur to the eardrum. You should therefore also see a doctor or ENT specialist if pain in or to the ear persists.
How to avoid?
Ask your hearing care professional
For example, when buying your hearing aid, you can ask your hearing care professional to ensure that the domes connect properly to the speakers. This ensures that the domes do not come loose easily and remain in the ear. Even with the best hearing aid, the dome can come loose if the wrong dome is on it!
Replace domes
It is important that the domes are replaced every 3 months. If the domes get too old they can lose their grip. This makes them easier to detach from the speaker.
Correct size
Make sure your domes are not too big. This can cause the dome to remain behind when the device is removed, simply because it is stuck in the ear canal. Domes come in all shapes and sizes. Ask your hearing care professional which domes you have so that you can easily buy new ones.
Press down well
If you change the domes, make sure the dome is properly pressed onto the speaker. A good test is to pull the dome and see if it comes off easily. If the dome is pressed well and yet comes off easily, the dome may be outdated or it may be a dome that does not fit on the speaker.
A brief summary
- Don’t panic! If you suspect that there is a dome in your ear, please contact your doctor or ENT specialist.
- Do not wear the device again until the dome is removed or the ear has been serviced.
- Ask your hearing care professional to ensure that the domes connect properly to the speakers. Even with the best hearing aid, the dome can detach if the wrong dome is on it!
- Make sure the domes are not too big for your ear canal.
- Switch domes every 3 months.
- When exchanging the domes, check whether they are securely attached.
A dome left in the ear; that is not going to happen to you again! If you want more information about whether your domes are properly secured and whether you have the right domes for your device, please contact us!
