Some people will prefer not to have surgery to repair their ear drum even if problematic. In cases where the perforation is dry, not located at the edge of the ear drum, shows no evidence of cholesteatoma formation and is not associated with recurrent infections or a hearing loss, nothing needs to be done unless the patient prefers it. In most cases the ENT surgeon will also ask for a hearing test to be performed to ensure that there is no associated hearing loss. It is usually diagnosed based on the symptoms that the patient is having and on examination of the ear drum with an otoscope. Sometimes a perforation is picked up on a routine examination by the GP without the person knowing that they had one. People who present to their doctor or ENT specialist with a perforated ear drum are usually experiencing one of the problems mentioned above. It is thought that perforations near the edge of the ear drum ( marginal perforations) may be more prone to developing this.
Barotrauma ear bombing skin#
Hearing loss is generally only a problem if the perforation is very large, involving most of the ear drum, or if the hearing bones (ossicles) have been exposed for a long time or have been exposed to many ear infections and have developed scar tissue or calcification (tympanosclerosis) around them or partially eroded.ĭead skin from the ear canal can sometimes abnormally migrate from the ear canal, through the hole and into the middle ear where it can form a cholesteatoma (a type of skin cyst), which can itself cause infections and hearing loss in addition to other potentially serious problems. The middle ear provides a suitable environment for these bugs to proliferate and hence cause infection. People who have an ear drum perforation and also wear hearing aids are also more prone to developing ear infections due to the increased humidity that hearing aids cause in the ear, which encourages bacteria and fungi to multiply. With this natural barrier gone, bugs in the water can wash through the perforation and cause infections during swimming or showering/bathing. These can occur because the ear drum acts as a natural barrier that prevents bacteria and fungi in the outer ear (where they are common) from entering the middle ear. Of those that do not heal, recurrent ear infections, hearing loss and cholesteatoma can be a problem. Traumatic perforations and those caused as a result of a middle ear infection typically heal within 2 to 4 weeks. Many ear drum perforations will heal spontaneously without further problems. What kind of problems can a perforated ear drum cause? Read more about this complication of ventilation tubes here. The most common surgical cause of an ear drum perforation is ventilation tube (grommet or T-tube) insertion.
Most of these heal spontaneously but some can persist and cause chronic problems such as ear drainage and hearing loss (known as chronic otitis media). Middle ear infections can also cause the ear drum to perforate. There are different types of trauma that can cause the ear drum to perforate:ĭirect trauma – such as from cotton bud or Q-tip used to clean wax from the ear canal, or from head trauma such as during a road traffic accident.Īcoustic trauma – due to exposure to very loud noise at close range such as from a bomb blast, a loud speaker or an open slap to the ear.īarotrauma – due to sudden changes in pressure, especially during scuba diving or sky-diving. Most perforations of the ear drum are caused by either trauma, infection or as a result of ear surgery.
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