We’re all about the can-do, do-it-yourself spirit of modern America, but there are limits. When it comes to your physical health, you really should leave things to the professionals. That said, there are many possible reasons you might want your own otoscope.

However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says that ear candles will not help to remove ear wax, and could seriously injure your ear. However, it is essential to receive proper training and guidance on how to use them safely and effectively. Improper use of an otoscope may lead to damage to the ear canal, or push earwax further into the ear canal, leading to earwax impaction. Inserting the otoscope too deeply or aggressively can damage the eardrum, potentially causing hearing loss, bleeding, or a perforation of the eardrum. In simple terms, a trained professional should only perform the physical removal of ear wax. The bottom line is don’t try this at home as there is a real and significant risk of trauma, or at worst, a perforation can be caused with lasting consequences. The NHS recommends using a dropper while lying your head on one side for a few minutes to let the oil work its way through your ear canal. About 2.3 million people in the UK, including hearing-aid users, have troublesome ear wax requiring removal each year, along with around four in ten care-home residents.Private companies, including larger national chains and independents, offer services to remove ear wax. The camera itself has a resolution of 720p. The video quality is crisp and clear, with excellent color clarity. It’s designed with a focal length of 2-3 centimeters, or roughly an inch. This is the ideal distance for viewing your middle ear. When it comes to cleaning, you’ll have the same options as the AnyKit. Use an alcohol swab, or boil the probe in water for 10 minutes. One thing to be aware of is that the base unit is not waterproof. You can wipe it with a damp cloth, but that’s about it.

The probe is made from stainless steel, and is about the size of a Bic pen. It has a little cutout in the side, which makes it easy to grip. At the tail end, there’s a cord, which plugs into the side of the monitoring unit. At the tip, there’s a set of six adjustable LED lights. These provide illumination inside your ear, so you can actually capture a video. Without them, you’d literally be flying blind. And at only 3.5mm in diameter, the tip is small enough for practically any ear. If you’re using water, though, you’ll need to leave the tip immersed for a full 10 minutes. Any less, and you won’t get full sterilization. For what it’s worth, the 6 indicates that the unit is entirely dust-proof. That doesn’t make much difference either way with this kind of device.He concluded that both could cause damage to the ears and he had serious safety concerns about their use by the public, especially given the the inadequate guidance on safe use. From a healthcare professional’s perspective, just because an ear wax camera allows you to see inside the ear doesn’t mean that you know what you are looking at. If your ear is full or hearing impaired, is it because of wax or because you have another condition that ear cleaning will not alleviate? You should only need to take further steps if the wax becomes impacted. What causes wax build-up in ears?