The eardrum is a thin piece of skin-like tissue that's stretched tight — like a drum — across the opening between the ear canal and the middle ear.
The outer ear funnels sound waves into the ear canal that hit the eardrum and make it vibrate. The middle ear and inner ear convert the vibrations to signals that the brain interprets as sounds. If there is a hole in the eardrum, it can't always vibrate as well as it should.
This can make a person's hearing worse. You've probably already know not to stick cotton swabs or other things into the ear canal when cleaning your ears. But eardrums can get ruptured a number of ways, and not all of them involve puncturing them with a swab. The first sign of a perforated eardrum will probably be pain. Here's what someone might notice after tearing an eardrum:.
Talk to a parent or call a doctor right away if you have any symptoms of a perforated eardrum. You should also see a doctor if you continue to have symptoms after getting treatment for a perforated eardrum. Even though most perforations heal on their own, you want to take steps to make sure any hearing loss you experience is only temporary. Go to the emergency room right away if you have severe symptoms.
Examples of severe symptoms are bloody discharge from your ear, extreme pain, total hearing loss in one ear, or dizziness that causes vomiting. To check for a perforated eardrum, a doctor will most likely examine your ear canal with a lighted instrument called an otoscope. Often, a doctor can see the tear and may even be able to see the tiny bones of the middle ear.
Other times it can be hard to see the eardrum at all because of fluid draining from the ear. The eardrum, also known as the tympanic membrane, is a thin tissue that divides the ear canal and middle ear. A ruptured eardrum is the result of a tear or hole in this tissue. It is sometimes referred to as a perforated eardrum or tympanic membrane perforation. How bad your symptoms are will depend on the size of the tear in your eardrum rupture.
A perforated or burst eardrum is a hole in the eardrum. It'll usually heal within a few weeks and might not need any treatment. But it's a good idea to see a GP if you think your eardrum has burst, as it can cause problems such as ear infections. Signs of a perforated eardrum, or an ear infection caused by a perforated eardrum, include:. The symptoms will usually pass once your eardrum has healed or any infection has been treated. Your eardrum will usually heal without treatment, but a GP can check for an infection which may need treatment and talk to you about how you can look after your ear.
They'll look into your ear using a small handheld torch with a magnifying lens.
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