October 9, 2023 Bev Carter

Why Can't I Hear Out Of One Ear?

Can't hear out of one ear? This can be down to a number of things such as hearing loss, infection, a blockage, a ruptured eardrum or age. In this blog post, we will guide you through what can cause the inability to hear out of one ear, treatment, and how to manage hearing loss.

Why can't I hear out of one ear?

A loss of hearing in one ear can occur at any point during anyone's lifetime. This could be a result of a medical condition, an infection, a ruptured ear drum, inner ear blockage, or other underlying issues. A loss of hearing in one ear can occur suddenly or gradually over time. It can affect the left ear, the right, or even both. A sudden loss of hearing may be a result of an infection or blockage, whereas a gradual loss may be down to ageing or another medical issue.

What could cause a loss of hearing in one ear?

Hearing loss in one ear shares similar symptoms to clogged ear and muffled hearing. There could be a number of causes to why you can't hear out of one ear. Below are five common causes:

1. Ageing

As we get older, our hearing can naturally diminish. This could affect one ear over another where you may notice weaker levels of hearing in a particular ear. Depending on the cause of hearing loss, you may have to take action to prevent further loss of hearing. Hearing aids are a valuable asset to effectively manage hearing loss in one ear, and we supply an affordable range of digital hearing aids to help you enjoy the sounds you love to hear.

2. Ear Infections and Colds

A common cause of being unable to hear from one ear is colds. This can affect your respiratory system which leads to an imbalance of pressure in the Eustachian tubes. The Eustachian tubes maintain the air pressure in your ears helping to keep it at the right levels. These tubes assist the drainage of fluid from the ears and help prevent infections. A similar sensation and loss of hearing can occur with the occurrence of a sinus or ear infection. Visiting a medical practitioner could help treat this.

3. Wax Build-Up

A build-up of wax in one ear is another common cause of hearing loss. An accumulation of wax could result in sounds appearing muffled or quieter than usual. Subsequently, the removal of wax can help see your hearing revert back to normal. We have a number of products to help with earwax removal including:

Earol Olive Oil Spray: A single metered dose of olive oil can be placed into the outer ear canal to soften and remove earwax.

4. Foreign Objects Causing a Blockage

When you can't hear out of one ear another cause may be a foreign object or liquids such as water. Trapped water can naturally disappear, however, a trapped object may require medical attention. It is not recommended that you insert objects into your ear. This may result in compaction of any wax or damage to the ear drum.

5. Sudden hearing loss

A loss of hearing in one ear could be a result of sudden hearing loss. SHL accounts for about 1% of the overall number of cases of sensorineural hearing loss and occurs rapidly, either all of a sudden or over a few days. Anyone who experiences sudden hearing loss should visit a medical professional immediately.

6. Ruptured eardrum

A ruptured eardrum may cause hearing loss for a few weeks before it heals. Symptoms can include:

Sudden Hearing Loss - you may find it difficult to hear anything or your hearing may just be slightly muffled
Earache or pain in your ear
Itching in your ear
Fluid leaking from your ear
A high temperature
Ringing or buzzing in your ear (tinnitus)

And it may have been caused by the following:

an ear infection
an injury to the eardrum, such as a blow to your ear or poking an object like a cotton bud deep into your ear
changes in pressure, such as while flying or scuba diving
a sudden loud noise, such as an explosion

You should visit your doctor if you have any symptoms so they can check that a ruptured eardrum is the cause of your hearing loss. Most of the time the eardrum will heal naturally over the course of a few weeks, but sometimes it may require surgery so don't be shy about getting it checked out.

How to treat hearing loss in one ear

We recommended that if you experience any sensation of loss of hearing or that you can't hear out of one ear, that you seek medical evaluation to determine what has caused the condition. Depending on the outcome, there could be a number of ways to treat and manage hearing loss. We supply a number of valuable products to assist other causes of clogged ear such a wax build-up. This includes the items highlighted above. For more products, visit our ear hygiene page. Alternatively, if the loss of hearing is permanent, we advise you seek our a device such as a hearing aid to assist your hearing.

Online hearing test

If you feel you can't hear out of one ear, checking your hearing may help identify a loss of hearing. You can test your hearing with our online hearing check. It is free, only takes a few minutes, and you will receive your results instantly.

About Hearing Direct

We are one of the world's leading hearing aid specialists. Hearing Direct offers a wide range of affordable products, as well as information resources to help improve the quality of life for the hard of hearing. We sell: