Ear wax removal · Guide
Ear wax and microsuction explorer: guide
What the picture shows, what microsuction involves, and how clinicians set it up.
For patients and families
What the picture shows
A 3D model of the ear: the part you can see, the ear canal that runs about 2.5 cm inside your head, the ear drum at the end of it, and, behind that, the three tiny hearing bones and the inner ear that turns sound into signals for your brain.
It starts with a healthy, clear ear. Your nurse, audiologist or doctor then adds what they saw when they looked in your ear, such as how much wax there is and where.
About ear wax
Ear wax is normal. It protects the ear canal and usually works its way out on its own. Sometimes it builds up and blocks the canal, which can make hearing muffled. Cotton buds tend to push wax further in.
About microsuction
The clinician looks into your ear through a microscope while a thin suction tube gently lifts the wax out. It is noisy, like a small vacuum, and can feel cool. Some people feel briefly dizzy. Tell them straight away if anything hurts, and they will stop. It usually takes a few minutes for each ear.
The Through the microscope view shows you what the clinician sees.
Things you could ask
“Can you show me where the wax is?”
“What does my ear drum look like?”
“Can you show me what you’re going to do?”
Afterwards
Your clinician can give you a picture sheet with a QR code that opens the same picture on your phone. Nothing about you is stored online. If you suddenly lose hearing in one ear, have severe pain, or discharge with a high temperature, contact your GP urgently or call NHS 111.
What it can’t do
The model is simplified and can’t tell you what is wrong. It helps you picture what your clinician is explaining.
For clinicians
Before you start
The explorer opens at a healthy, clear left ear in the cut-away view. Add what you found on otoscopy, then use Patient view to hide the set-up panel while you explain.
Setting it up from your examination
| Control | What to set |
|---|---|
| Which ear | Left or right. The whole model mirrors. |
| How much wax | None, a little, partly blocking or fully blocking (occluding). |
| What it is like | Soft or hard. Hard wax is shown darker and drier. |
| Where it is | Outer (cartilaginous) canal, or deep, by the tympanic membrane. |
| Other findings | Otitis externa (red, swollen canal), a foreign body, a perforation (small or large), a grommet, or fluid behind the drum. |
| Microsuction | “During” shows the speculum and suction tube, with wax being removed. “After” shows the clear canal and visible drum. |
Views
- Cut-away and Ear canal: a section along the canal, showing the S-bend, cartilage and bone, the drum and the middle ear.
- Through the microscope: a lit, round view down the canal, as you see it. Useful for showing wax, a perforation or a grommet.
- Middle and inner ear: the ossicles, cochlea, semicircular canals and nerve, for explaining hearing and balance.
- Outer ear and Whole head: orientation.
What the model assumes
- A typical adult ear: canal about 25 mm long, with an S-bend; the outer third cartilaginous, the inner two thirds bony.
- The tympanic membrane is shown at its usual slant, with the handle of the malleus and a light reflex.
- Findings are illustrative. Wax size and perforation size are shown in broad steps, not measured.
Picture sheet and QR code
Snapshot up to four views, add an optional note (for example about ear drops) and clinic contact, then preview the A4 sheet. It can include what happens in microsuction, a plain-English labels page, and a QR code that reopens the picture on the patient’s phone. The code never holds the name or notes.
Between patients
Press Start again or close the tab. Nothing is kept.
This tool is new. If you work in ENT, audiology or primary care and can review it, please get in touch.