Clínica Ricardo Palma performs this test on all babies born in our institution as part of routine neonatal examinations.

According to the World Health Organization, hearing loss affects 5 out of every 1,000 newborns worldwide.

For this reason, by way of prevention, every newborn must undergo neonatal hearing screening, also known as otoacoustic emissions. A simple, quick, and painless test, which checks the response to the stimulus of slight sounds, to prevent, detect and treat hearing loss early.

On the other hand, commemorating World Ear and Hearing Care Day, Dr. Francisco Salaverry,
Otolaryngologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma, offers us the following tips to maintain good hearing health:

• Avoid places with a lot of noise.
• Wear protective headphones if you work in a noisy environment.
• Visit an Otolaryngologist if your ear feels blocked or you don’t hear very well. The specialist may perform an ear wash 1 or 2 times a year, to prevent earwax build-up.
• Clean your ear during the daily bath. Water should have contact only with the outer ear and then dry well with a towel. The swab should be used with caution and approximately every two weeks, soaking it in alcohol and cleaning only the outer part of the ear, to avoid injury.
• Visit the specialist if you have severe earache due to a flu process.
• Use headphones no more than one hour a day and at a volume lower than 80 decibels.

Remember, early diagnosis and intervention are key to avoiding hearing loss.

Dr. Francisco Salaverry
Otolaryngologist at at Clínica Ricardo Palma