游泳耳可損聽力

游水後耳朵痛及流膿，可能是患上俗稱「游泳耳」的急性外耳道炎。游泳期間，不潔的泳池或海水會流入耳道，令內裏的耳垢發脹增大，讓人有「塞住」的感覺，於是嘗試用棉棒探入耳朵吸走水分，但結果刮傷了耳道皮膚，令病菌有機可乘造成感染，引起耳道痕癢、腫脹、疼痛及流膿等情況，腫脹的組織更會堵塞耳道，令聽力受阻。

預防「游泳耳」方法:
首先，你應選擇一些水質較佳的泳灘及泳池場所，游水時可戴上泳帽或專用耳塞，尤其是一些有慢性中耳炎、耳朵敏感及濕疹等患者，更需要用耳塞保護，防止污水入耳。游泳後你可用清潔的毛巾或紙巾拭抹耳道口，吸出積水，但不應用異物伸入耳道，以免弄損耳內皮膚。如果仍覺得耳道有水，可以把一側耳朵朝向地面，然後用手輕輕拉一拉朝地的耳廓，這樣可以把耳道拉直，以利積水排出。

如果你游泳或參與水上活動後一、兩天，出現上述的耳朵不適，便應盡快求醫處理，千萬別自行購買藥物或任由其自行痊愈，原因是耳內的細菌有可能會侵襲其他組織，併發嚴重炎症，對聽力可造成永久性傷害。

Acute otitis externa is commonly known as "Swimmer's ear" since it is frequently associated with swimming activities. Any trauma to ear canal, eg. the use of q-tip after swimming, increases the risk of infection of the ear canal especially in the presence of contaminated water source. Symptoms include ear pain, decreased hearing, ringing, and ear drainage. Topical antibiotics with steroids are treatment of choice following cleaning of debris in the ear canal under microscopy. Sometimes when the ear canal is so swollen that precludes the use of antibiotics ear drops alone, a small wick is placed in the ear canal for a few days, allowing ear drops to diffuse deep in the ear canal via capillary action. Dry ear precaution is paramount in individuals prone to recurrent outer ear infection.

Sources:
http://the-sun.on.cc/cnt/news/20100605/00410_003.html