Q: What is "Glue Ear?" Is it:
- a. When your little brother or sister pours an entire tube of Elmer's Glue in your ear
- b. When your ear gets filled up with some sticky fluid and you have trouble hearing.
If you answered "b," you are correct.
Medical Definition of "Glue Ear"
When the middle ear goes into overdrive, producing too much fluid that can not drain away because the tube that normally drains it away has become blocked, that results in "glue ear." It is often caused by repeated middle ear infections.
An About Deafness visitor offered an alternative explanation: The middle ear space should be filled with air, not any fluid. If the eustachian tube closes off so that air cannot travel into the middle ear chamber, the air in the middle ear gradually becomes absorbed, and a slight vacuum may form, drawing fluid from the tissues. If the fluid stays there for a long time it may thicken, and if any bacterial matter is there, may become infected.
Who Usually Gets Glue Ear?
Both children and adults can get glue ear, but it is mostly children who get it because their immune systems are not mature yet.
What Happens if Glue Ear is Not Treated or Does Not Go Away on Its Own?
If the fluid does not go away on its own (most cases will resolve themselves over time) the collected fluid can cause a conductive hearing loss. Conductive means that it is temporary and treatable. A child's speech and language development may be affected by glue ear, as with any hearing loss. Sometimes the glue ear is treated with tubes inserted into the ear. Although glue ear usually causes only temporary hearing loss, it can lead to permanent hearing loss.
How Do You Treat Glue Ear?
There are several choices:
- Myringotomy - Making cuts in the eardrum to drain the fluid and insert tubes.
- Antibiotics - This option should be avoided as much as possible in order to avoid overuse of antibiotics.
- Doing nothing - Because many cases of glue ear will resolve themselves on their own, this can be the best course of action to take.
- Using hearing aids temporarily until the glue ear is gone.
