If you are told that you should wear earplugs in order to prevent swimmer’s ear, then you would naturally assume that you should wear them when you are in the water. It was recently found out however that there is a company that has developed a new type of ear plug that you wear after you get out of the water. How could this possibly work? 

The product, which is known as ClearEars is made up of a soft foam substance. The company claims that if you stick ClearEars in the ear after swimming or getting water in your ear, that the foam will absorb and suck out water from the ear canal. Preventing swimmer’s ear has been a hot topic over the past few years because it can cause people great pain and discomfort.

Swimmer’s ear occurs when water gets trapped inside of the ear canal. When this happens, it creates an infection of the outer ear canal and those who are prone to it should be cautious of getting water in their ears. A person with swimmer’s ear can feel an immense amount of pressure and sometimes the infection can travel deeper into the ear canal, creating more problems. The most commonly used prevention method used for swimmer’s ear is to place alcohol drops into the ear canal after swimming or getting water into the canal.

The invention of ClearEars has given people who commonly get swimmer’s ear another way to deal with the discomfort. The company claims that the foam plugs can relieve pressure and comfort, along with draining the excess water in the canal. Doctors however have not evaluated the ClearEars plug, so they are not certain at this time if it really works or not. They do like the idea however and are eager to see what results it gives their patients.

ClearEar is more costly than traditional ear plugs that you would wear while swimming or when you are exposed to water. Five pairs of ear plugs will cost you between six and seven dollars. The major downfall to the plugs is that they are not reusable. For those who go swimming often over the summer months, this method could literally cost over a hundred dollars per swimming season. For those who battle swimmer’s ear often however, the price may be worth not feeling the pain or discomfort any longer.

Kids tend to have more issues with swimmer’s ear than adults and it is cautioned that children under 15 years of age only use them with adult supervision. Kids often complain about having drops put in their ears as the drops tend to be cold. ClearEars may be a better option for those who are averse to using the drops. The plugs are also very soft and it is reported that they do not scrape or damage the ears when they are inserted or removed. It will be interesting to see if this niche in the medical field is going to continue into the future.