What is causing

QFor the past five years my ears have felt constantly blocked and when I speak I can hear my voice loudly in my head. My doctor thought it might be hay fever but what is your opinion?

ATHERE are two main reasons for a feeling of blocked ears.

The first is a build-up of wax in the canal outside the ear drum but I’m assuming your GP has checked your ears and excluded this.

The second reason is a build-up of fluid behind the ear drum. This usually happens when the Eustachian tubes, the tiny drainage channels between the ears and the back of the nose, are blocked.

This can happen as a result of an infection or it may happen as result of allergy, where the lining of the nose becomes inflamed, a condition commonly known as allergic rhinitis.

Allergic rhinitis that occurs in the summer months is usually called hay fever but the condition can occur year-round and be triggered by a variety of things such as house dust mites, cats or sometimes just going out in cold weather.

A steroid nasal spray can usually treat allergic rhinitis successfully but regular daily use for several weeks is often required.

If this doesn’t help then I suggest you go back to your GP and discuss whether you need to see an ENT specialist.

SInce having cataract surgery on both eyes many years ago, I have suffered from a strange visual phenomenon when I wake at night. If I have to get up to go to the bathroom I “see” large red cloud-like objects obscuring part of my vision. I mentioned it to my doctor who didn’t understand what I meant. one eye specialist said it might be because I get up too quickly but what do you think?

AA CATARACT is clouding of the lens. The lens sits behind the iris, the coloured part of the eye, and focuses light rays on the retina, the light-sensitive membrane at the back of the eye.

Cataracts can make your vision more blurred and also affect colour perception. They are treated by replacing the lens with a new clear artificial one. The back membrane of the lens (the capsule) is left behind and holds the artificial lens in place.

Some people do notice shadows or strange lights in their vision after surgery and this is due to the different way that the light is focused on the retina through the new lens. When you