Whats the best treatment for glue ear?
It sounds as if your grandson’s grommets may have dropped out and his glue ear has come back. As you may know glue ear is a condition in which the middle ear becomes filled with thick sticky fluid instead of air. This stops the eardrum amplifying sound properly and causes hearing loss. The commonest reason for glue ear is a blockage of the Eustachian tube which balances pressure between the middle ear and the outside world (it opens into the back of the throat). The Eustachian tube blocks off frequently in young children especially when they have a cold, but less so in older children (over the age of five) unless they also have enlarged adenoids or tonsils. Bacteria can track back up the Eustachian tube causing recurrent ear infections such as in your grandson’s case. You do not say how old your grandson is – if he is under five he may still be ‘growing out’ of his tendency to glue ear. However he needs to see his own GP who can examine his ears to see if the grommets have fallen out (
