Middle ear infections are a common condition that many of us experience at some point in our lives, particularly in childhood. Some people experience muffled hearing or hearing loss when they have an ear infection. While hearing loss from an ear infection is almost always temporary, chronic ear infections may increase the risk of permanent hearing loss.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
While ear infections usually aren\u2019t serious, they can cause discomfort and pain. Symptoms can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ear infections are especially common in children. If a child is too young to verbalize that they have ear pain, you may notice other symptoms such as tugging at the ear, unsteadiness or acting fussier than normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you have a middle ear infection, your Eustachian tube, which runs from the middle ear to the back of the throat, becomes inflamed. This inflammation can lead to fluid becoming trapped in the tube, which can interfere with your ability to hear. As the virus clears up, the fluid drains out of the middle ear, and hearing returns to normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chronic ear infections that don\u2019t go away or recurrent infections that keep coming back can cause long-term damage to your ear. Often, it can cause a hole in the eardrum that does not heal. Research has shown that infections that cause damage to the middle<\/a> <\/a>ear can lead to permanent hearing loss.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
While there is no cure for hearing loss, treatment options exist that can help improve your hearing ability and make it easier to navigate your environment. Hearing aids<\/a> are the most common form of treatment for those with permanent hearing loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n