What does an ear infection look like inside the ear?
Are you feeling ear-ritated? Perhaps it’s because you have an ear infection! Don’t worry though, we will guide you on what these infections look like and help ease your discomfort.
Understanding the Anatomy of the Ear
Before delving deeper into what an ear infection looks like, let us first understand a bit about our ears (pun intended). The human ear consists of three parts:
– The outer ear
– The middle ear
– The inner ear
The outer and middle part are separated by eardrums that vibrate when sound waves reach them.
Types of Ear Infections
There are three types of common infections related to each respective part of the ears:
1. Otitis externa (outer)
2. Otitis media (middle)
3. Labyrinthitis/ vestibular neuritis (inner)
For today’s discussion, we’ll mainly focus on otitis media or commonly known as middle-ear infections.
Symptoms that You Might Experience with Middle-Ear Infection
Middle-ear infections often target inflammation in and around eustachian tubes; this can cause fluid build-up behind eardrums (ouch!) Other symptoms include:
Symptom | Description |
---|---|
Pressure/pain(double ouch!) | Feeling pressure or dull pain inside one or both ears |
Ear popping/blockage | This means it is harder for sound to pass through your ears |
Ringing sounds/tinnitus | (not always) Ringing in one or both ears |
You may also experience reduced hearing ability due to excess discharge produced from middle/’its environment’ section coming up next!
What Causes This Pressure And Fluid-Build Up Behind Eardrums?
One of the most common cause is a bacterial or viral infection that occurs in the middle/’its surrounding’, normally happens when fluids accumulate which like to hang around and play (we aren’t judging!).
What Does Ear Infection Look Like Inside The Ear?
Now, let’s dig deeper into what a middle-ear infection may look like inside an ear canal.
Infected Eardrum
First things first – remember those eardrums earlier we mentioned? When experiencing an ear-infection, these membranes tend to absorb excessive fluid buildup leading them to bulge (not ideal, right?) Sometimes it can get so bad they even perforate(completely burst), you don’t want this!
Fluid inside Ears
When looking into an infected ear, your physician might diagnose a yellow fluid behind the eardrum. This could be one of two fluids:
Fluid Type | Description |
---|---|
Mucoid or serous effusion | A liquid that is transparent and thin |
Purulent exudate(yuk!) | Often associated with bacterial infections where the fluid appears to be thick and pus-like |
If it’s moving towards the latter on this table, I’d suggest booking an appointment ASAP!
Other Possible Symptoms You Might Run Into:
Some people may notice hair at the opening of their ears becomes matted (due to excessive discharge), inflammation around Ear-area which may look swollen (dumbo AF)and tenderness when touching these regions(be gentle!).
What Is The Treatment for Middle-Ear Infections?
So what do we do? Take a quick moment breathe, sigh reliefs but then find yourself seeking medical attention; seriously there are some conditions in life better left un-googled.
In all seriousness though you’ll need antibiotics(most commonly) or antihistamines potentially even decongestants depending on diagnoses along with hearing care & proper cleaning from health professional(s).
Conclusion
We hope as fun as you found our discussion regarding ear-infections today informative and useful under most circumstances.It is best not to wait too long before giving due attention to such issues because untreated severe scenarios can affect permanent damage affecting your ability to hear.
Stay safe & take care of those ears!
Hey there, I’m Dane Raynor, and I’m all about sharing fascinating knowledge, news, and hot topics. I’m passionate about learning and have a knack for simplifying complex ideas. Let’s explore together!
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