In children, glue ear usually gets better on its own with no treatment. The GP will usually monitor your child for three months to see whether the glue ear goes by itself, before considering treatment. In the inner ear, the sound waves are transformed into electric impulses that are sent to the brain, allowing us to hear. In contrast, birds and reptiles only have one little ear bone and no empty middle ear space. The human ear evolved this middle air-filled space to provide room for the three inner ear bones, and this evolved from ancestors with a much simpler ear anatomy. Your child’s healthcare provider will examine your child’s ears to diagnose glue ear. They’ll use a small scope to look for fluid in your child’s ears.

Because glue ear does spontaneously fix itself – most countries’ clinical guidelines recommend waiting three months before any intervention. The most common form of intervention after this period is grommet surgery.A surgical procedure called adenoidectomy is usually recommended for chronic glue ears that don’t clear up even after three months. Parents of a 6 year old boy said: " He did struggle to start with, but it wasn't long before he could get it to an orange " During this time, your child’s glue ear may get better on its own. However, there is a non-surgical treatment your child can try while waiting for their next set of hearing tests, which is proven to help treat glue ear — the Otovent ® balloon. Your child’s specialist may perform a surgery called myringotomy. During this procedure, the specialist will make a small cut in your child’s eardrum to allow fluid to drain from their middle ear. The specialist may place a tiny, hollow ear tube in the cut. The tube helps balance the pressure in their eardrum with the pressure in their middle ear. It also provides drainage from your child’s middle ear to their outer ear. The tube usually falls out on its own within a year. Adenoidectomy Grommets are tiny plastic tubes that are put in the eardrum. They allow air to circulate in the middle ear and help to reduce the fluid from further building up. This is usually done as a day case and is a short operation in hospital under general anaesthetic. The grommets are inserted after the fluid in the middle ear has been drained away.

You can also try over-the-counter nasal sprays that contain steroids. These can also be prescribed by your GP. If a child’s hearing loss is severe, or they’ve had it for a while, they may have problems with speech and language. Their listening skills can also be affected and these things together can affect their progress at nursery or school. Hearing aids are devices that make sounds louder. To help with temporary hearing loss, your child’s healthcare provider may recommend hearing aids. Children often use them while they’re waiting for glue ear to resolve. They also use them when a myringotomy isn’t possible. Are there any potential complications after surgery for glue ear? Have you ever noticed that when you have a cold, your hearing seems to be affected too? That condition is known as “glue ear,” and if left untreated, it can disrupt your work and social life.The balloon needs to be inflated 3 times per day in each nostril, for example in the morning, after school and before bed. It is good to try and make blowing up the balloon part of your child's daily routine like when they are cleaning their teeth. Adenoids usually shrink as we grow old. This is why enlarged adenoids are much more common in children. But some adults may also require adenoidectomy, particularly if there is a possibility of cancer or tumor on the adenoids. Your child's doctor, nurse or audiologist may prescribe treatment with a nasal balloon to help clear your child's glue ear during the watchful waiting period. Older children with glue ear may also report tinnitus (hearing sounds in the affected ear like ringing or buzzing). Some may experience mild clumsiness or balance problems. Hearing aids are an option instead of an operation to insert grommets in children with hearing loss who have glue ear in both ears. The hearing aids would usually only be used for the time until the glue ear clears away. There are different types of hearing aids that can be used mainly depending on whether the hearing is fluctuating or not.