Ear Dryers for Infections

[Burnster]

Hi,
On our last dive trip my girlfriend got a bad ear infection, thankfully it was on the last day and didnt cause any loss of dives.I have seen recently battery operated ear dryers to prevent these-anyone had any experience of them-are they better than ear drops or just an expensive gadget or gimmick.

Would appreciate any views and experience medical or otherwise


Alan

 

[tlawler]

Hi,
On our last dive trip my girlfriend got a bad ear infection, thankfully it was on the last day and didnt cause any loss of dives.I have seen recently battery operated ear dryers to prevent these-anyone had any experience of them-are they better than ear drops or just an expensive gadget or gimmick.

Would appreciate any views and experience medical or otherwise


Alan

Never tried them, so I can't say. What works for me is a q-tip. Just hold it in your ear canal near the ear drum and it will wick away the water. Works like a charm and no batteries to go dead. I always keep a few in a ziplock in my save-a-dive kit. They come in handy for a number of other things too.

 

[CheddarChick]

They are called the Sahara Ear Dryer
http://www.dryear.net
This is one web site.
After getting my second ear infection I am thinking about buying one

 

[ApexLongimanus]

I am using it after the home brew (50% vinegar 50% rubbing alcohol in each ear for min. 5 minutes). Have not had an infection since then.
I think you can find a couple of threads on this forum regarding the ear dryer.

 

[Luc Dupas]

I've been suffering from otitis externa for years... over and over and over again... spoiling my dive vacations... keeping me out of the water for weeks in a row... till I started using home brewn "acid droplets"... 50% regular white vinegar from the kitchen, and 50% rubbing alcohol from the drugs cabinet in the bathroom...
First I dry my ears as good as I can using a regular towel or paper handkerchief, and subsequently I tilt my head to the left and put a few "acid droplets" in my right ear and keep my head in that position for a few minutes, and then I do the same thing on the other side... I keep my fingers crossed but I didn't have any otitis externa anymore since the last 600 dives or so! No batteries, no fancy stuff, just regular things anyone has at home and it costs virtually nothing!

 

[mistressmotorsports]

When I was in La Paz in August, I decided to try the ear dryer without drops to see what would happen. 15 times in the water (12 dives and 3 snorkles), used the ear dryer each time I came out, and no ear problems at all. So, I'm pretty happy with it. It's not cheap (I paid $80 at the Long Beach Scuba Show), but it is one of the cheaper dive accessories I have.

Mike

 

[CompuDude]

Read the current issue of Alert Diver magazine, or this article from DAN:

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/article.asp?articleid=48

Summary: The home brew 50-50 white vinegar-rubbing alcohol mix for 5 full minutes in each ear will do the trick with far less hassle and fewer batteries then the ear dryer. So effective it's a mandatory procedure for navy divers, who can't afford to suffer downtime from an ear infection when they're working.

 

[spectrum]

Forget the gadget just get back to basics:
http://home.gwi.net/~spectrum/scuba_ears.html

Pete