What can I do for my child with glue ear?
The main thing is to be aware that your child will have dulled hearing until the condition goes away or is treated. The following are some tips.
- Talk clearly and more loudly than usual (but you don't have to shout).
- Attract your child's attention before speaking to him or her. Talk directly face to face, and down at their level.
- Cut out background noise when you talk to your child (for example, turn off the TV or radio).
- Understand that your child`s frustration or bad behaviour may be due to dulled hearing.
- Discuss the problem with the teacher if your child is at school or nursery. Sitting near to the teacher may help. Often in a class there are several children with glue ear, and raising awareness of glue ear with teachers is helpful.
- Don't let anybody smoke in the same home as your child.
Even after an episode of glue ear has cleared up, remember the problem may return for a while in the future, particularly after a cold or ear infection.
Does glue ear go away?
As children grow older, problems with glue ear usually go away. This is because the Eustachian tube widens, and the drainage of the middle ear improves. In general, the older the child, the less likely fluid will build up in the middle ear. Also, in older children, any fluid that does build up after a cold is likely to clear quickly. Glue ear rarely persists in children over the age of eight. In nearly all cases, once the fluid has gone, hearing returns to normal.
Rarely, long-term glue ear may lead to middle ear damage and some permanent hearing loss.
Some common questions about glue ear
Can glue ear be prevented?
The cause of glue ear is not fully understood, and there is no way of preventing most cases. However, the risk of developing glue ear is less in children who live in homes free of cigarette smoke, and who are breast fed.
Are children routinely checked for hearing?
Yes. All children should have a routine hearing test either shortly after birth or aged about 8-9 months. However, most cases of glue ear develop in children aged 2-5 years. Therefore, hearing may have been fine at the routine hearing test, but then become dulled at a latter time. See a doctor if you suspect your child has dulled hearing at any age.
Can medication clear glue ear?
Various medicines have been tried to help clear glue ear. For example, antihistamines, steroids, decongestants, antibiotics, and medicines to 'thin' mucus. However, research studies have shown that none of these medicines are much use in the treatment of glue ear.
Average rating:
Where to next?
Please leave a comment, tip or story in the box below
Caroline Lindsay, about 1 year
I found this article very informative and reassuring. It allieviated my fears that glue ear would not cause permanent damage to my grand daughters hearing
Report this commentjaime stock, about 1 year
my son is nearly 5yrs old and apparantly has glue ear and he also has a speach inpedament he also suffers with bad colds ane ear ace is it all linked up together ? he quite often complains ov pains in his ears especially this time of year i think he may need a gromit placeing in his ear to. will this be all linked together is there anything i could be doing for him? thank you
Report this comment
Anthea McDermott, about 1 year
My daughter has suffered from glue ear ever since she was a toddler it affected her hearing so badly it caused her speech not to develop proparly, luckily that is ok now it improved as she got older. She was being seen at a hearing clinic but as she got older that stopped as they said she would grow out of it. My daughter is now nearly 12 she is halfway through a cold and her glue ear has returned in her left ear rather severely, is there anything i can do to help other than the normal things, is it worth contacting the hearing clinic as they will only do a hearing test on her and it will no doudt have cleared up by then anyway. is there anything the doctor can do as she has just started secondary school and i dont want her missing out.I have informed the school. hope you can help me. thank you.
Report this comment