How to Identify a Ruptured Eardrum

Occasionally, a tiny tear or hole forms in the eardrum. Doctors refer to this condition as a ruptured eardrum or a perforated eardrum. Infection, pressure changes, injury or loud noises may contribute to the formation of a ruptured eardrum.

Instructions

• 1

  Reflect on your experiences over the past few days. If you've been on a long flight with pressure change, been in the presence of loud noise, suffered an infection or experienced an injury to your ear, it's possible that you're experiencing ruptured eardrum symptoms.

• 2

  Notice any sharp and abrupt pain that comes from the ear. Pain and discomfort are common ruptured eardrum symptoms.

• 3

  Watch for drainage coming from your ear. While the drainage often appears as clear fluid, occasionally it's tainted with puss or blood.

• 4

  Recognize that ruptured eardrums sometimes lead to extreme pain, followed by a period of decreased pain and then fluid drainage from the affected ear.

• 5

  Think about your quality of hearing. People with ruptured eardrums sometimes experience diminished hearing quality or hearing loss.

• 6

  Pay attention to any ringing in the ear, otherwise known as tinnitus. Ringing of the ear is one of several ruptured eardrum symptoms.

• 7

  Be aware of vertigo or a spinning sensation, a symptom occasionally associated with a ruptured eardrum.