What is the treatment for glue ear?
Watchful waiting ('wait and see')
No treatment is usually advised at first as the outlook is good. The length of time advised to 'wait and see' can vary, and depends on certain factors. For example, whether the glue ear is recurrent or new, the severity of the hearing loss, the child's age, etc. For a 'typical' situation, a doctor may advise that you wait several months to see if the glue ear clears.
Balloon treatment
For this treatment a special balloon is blown up by the child using their nose. This is called 'autoinflation'. It puts back-pressure into the nose, and may help to open up the Eustachian tube and allow better drainage of the fluid. The child needs to do this regularly until the fluid clears. The research studies that looked into this treatment found that it seems to help in some cases, but not all. Also, this balloon treatment requires a lot of commitment to do regularly. It is also difficult for young children to do properly. Therefore, with well motivated older children who can use the device, it may be worth a try. It is not thought to cause any side-effects or problems. You can get an autoinflation kit called Otovent on prescription, or you can buy it from pharmacies.
Surgery
A small operation may be advised by an ear specialist if glue ear persists, or is severe. This involves making a tiny cut (about 2-3mm) in the eardrum under anaesthetic. The fluid is drained and a grommet (ventilation tube) is then usually inserted. A grommet is like a tiny pipe that is put across the eardrum. The grommet lets air to get into the middle ear. Hearing improves immediately.
Grommets normally fall out of the ear as the eardrum grows, usually after 6-12 months. By this time the glue ear has often gone away. The hole in the eardrum made for the grommet normally heals quickly when the grommet falls out. Sometimes grommets need to be put in on more than one occasion if glue ear recurs.
In some cases, the adenoids are also taken out to improve the drainage of the Eustachian tube. Adenoids are small clumps of glandular tissue (similar to tonsils). They are attached at the back of the nose cavity near to the opening of the Eustachian tube.
Hearing aids
Hearing aids is an option. The hearing aids would usually only be used for the time until the glue ear clears away.
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