Tears and earwax

[heyjude0701]

Does anyone know if tears and earwax are related to each other in any way? During the same time frame that I seemed to have stopped making enough tears, I also stopped producing ear wax. I used to have a lot of ear wax, but now I have none at all.

Is this normal aging or do you think something else might be going on. I tested negative on the auto-immune tests for Sjogrens, and I have enough saliva; it just seems to be my ears and eyes that are dry (and my skin too).
Judy

[PAllen]

I noticed that, too. My eyes became dry, then I noticed that cleaning my ears with a q tip no longer resulted in any ear wax. I asked my dentist to check my salivary glands and she found that the upper left wasn't functioning. The upper right and the glands in the floor of my mouth work, though. I also tested negative for Sjogrens. my skin doesn't seem any dryer than usual, though.

[Hopeful2]

You know, I never thought to post about my suspected connection between dry eye and ear wax. I did notice that after a course of steroids and starting restasis that all of a sudden I had ear wax again. It was noticing the ear wax that made me realize that I didn't have any for a period of about seven months.

I wonder what the biochemistry is behind the connection. . . Makes me wonder if the lack of ear wax was somehow casing episodes of vertigo.

[heyjude0701]

I noticed that, too. My eyes became dry, then I noticed that cleaning my ears with a q tip no longer resulted in any ear wax. I asked my dentist to check my salivary glands and she found that the upper left wasn't functioning. The upper right and the glands in the floor of my mouth work, though. I also tested negative for Sjogrens. my skin doesn't seem any dryer than usual, though.

Good idea about asking the dentist to check if the salivary glands are working. I didn't know they could do that- boy do I have a lot to learn.
Judy

[heyjude0701]

You know, I never thought to post about my suspected connection between dry eye and ear wax. I did notice that after a course of steroids and starting restasis that all of a sudden I had ear wax again. It was noticing the ear wax that made me realize that I didn't have any for a period of about seven months.

I wonder what the biochemistry is behind the connection. . . Makes me wonder if the lack of ear wax was somehow casing episodes of vertigo.

I googled earwax and vertigo, and although I couldn't find anything definitive, a few people noticed that they had vertigo when they had too much earwax. Maybe a sudden change in the amount of earwax could cause vertigo. If only there were a clearinghouse where we could all enter symptoms and possible associations and see how many others have it too, and what seems to be coincidence. Judy

[magoo]

How interesting! When I think back to when my eyes got really bad, for that same length of time I have not been troubled by a lot of earwax. I had always had to clean my ears every day and always got some wax out, but for the last several years I hardly ever see any on the q-tip.

I wonder if the makeup of meibum and earwax (both have fatty acids in them) is the connection.

ETA: FYI, I found WebMD states that one symptom of earwax buildup is vertigo.