Ears and Hearing
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Ear tubes are small tubes made out of plastic or metal that are placed into the ear drum to ventilate the middle ear. The middle is that part of the ear between the ear drum and the hard bone surrounding the inner ear. The middle ear is, under normal circumstances, filled with air at the same pressure as the surrounding atmosphere. The pressure is maintained at this normal level by a natural tube called the Eustachian tube. When pressure gets greater or less in the middle ear (for example, when changing altitudes in a plane) the Eustachian tube opens, causing the ears to "pop" and the pressure to equalize. The Eustachian tube also opens during swallowing, chewing, or other jaw movement without producing the pronounced popping sensation.
A perforation is a hole in the ear drum. Perforations occur from infections or injuries to the ear. Childhood perforations most commonly occur from infections. Fortunately, these are generally self-healing. Symptoms of a perforation include drainage from the ear and bloody discharge. The child's pediatrician will detect the hole or defect in the drum. The first order of treatment is to dry the ear. Antibiotics, decongestants and ear drops are also prescribed. Within several weeks, most perforations following a recent infection heal spontaneously.
An adult with a perforation will generally notice a hearing loss in the ear. Water entering the ear when showering or swimming may be painful and can cause dizziness. Frequent summer ear infections related to swimming may be a symptom of an undetected perforation. Most adults with frequent ear infections, usually have had a history of ear infections in childhood.
Swimmer’s ear is an infection of the outer ear structures. It typically occurs in swimmers, but the since the cause of the infection is water trapped in the ear canal, bathing or showering may also cause this common infection. When water is trapped in the ear canal, bacteria that normally inhabit the skin and ear canal multiply, causing infection and irritation of the ear canal. If the infection progresses it may involve the outer ear.
