Known as otomycosis or Swimmer's Ear, fungal ear infections primarily affect the ear canal. Otomycosis accounts for 7% of those diagnosed with otitis externa or inflammation and infection of the ear canal.
The most common causes of otomycosis are the fungal species Candida and Aspergillus. Fungal ear infections are commonly confused with bacterial ear infections. Most often, doctors will treat your ear infection as if it is bacterial. Oftentimes, doctors prescribe antibiotics, but since they don't fight fungal infections, no change occurs. Afterwards, your doctor will give you a variety of at-home and prescription fungal treatments.
Recognize abnormal ear itching (pruritis). It is fairly normal for your ears to itch. The hundreds of little hairs on and in your ear can be tickled easily. If your ear itches constantly and scratching/rubbing doesn’t satiate your problem, you might have a fungal infection. This is the primary way that fungal ear infections present themselves.
Recognize ear pain (otalgia). You’ll almost always experience ear pain in one ear - not both, because the fungal infection is local. Sometimes, sufferers describe this as “pressure” or “fullness”. The pain can be mild or severe. Pain usually intensifies the more you touch your ear.
Check for ear discharge (otorrhea). Fungal ear discharge is usually thick and can be clear, white, yellow, and sometimes bloody/foul-smelling. Do not confuse this with normal waxy build up. Take a Q-Tip and swab your ear. There will be a normal level of waxy buildup, but if either the amount or color seems off, you may have a fungal infection in your ear.
Check for hearing loss. A fungal ear infection may present itself in the form of muffled speech/sounds, difficulty understanding words, and trouble hearing consonants. Sometimes, people recognize their hearing loss more by their change in behavior. Frustration brews as a result of one’s inability to hear, so said person withdraws from conversations and social settings.
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