What is glue ear and how is it treated?
A. Glue ear is otherwise known as chronic secretory otitis media. It may occur as a consequence of recurrent ear infections and may cause a form of hearing loss in the child. Hearing is very important for the child’s development, particularly the development of speech. In glue ear the eustachian tube becomes blocked, causing pressure changes in the middle ear and pain. Grommets are ventilation tubes that can be inserted into the child’s ear drum to aerate the middle ear. This process is carried out under a short general anaesthetic and is a straightforward procedure. There are continuing debates about the benefits of the procedure, but in the majority of cases grommets seem to lead to an improvement in hearing and a reduction in earache, usually detectable within a month of the procedure being carried out. In most children the grommets fall out at some point in the subsequent year and do not need replacing. The decision about whether to insert grommets is one that would be made by a sp
