A burst or perforated eardrum is an ear condition that can occur suddenly and cause various symptoms. A burst eardrum may get better on its own, but sometimes it needs medical treatment.
PHIN can help you find a specialist ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT) to treat the perforation in your eardrum. Our easy-to-use search tool allows you to comprehensively search local ENT doctors and explore consultant profiles so you can make informed decisions for your needs.
However, if you’re unaware of the symptoms of a burst eardrum, you might not know you need help. We explain how to identify a burst eardrum and its symptoms.
What is a burst eardrum?
A burst eardrum is a hole or tear in your eardrum. Doctors sometimes call it a perforated eardrum.
Your eardrum is a thin, circular tissue layer separating your outer and middle ear. The eardrum is crucial for hearing and helps keep your middle ear free from water, bacteria and debris.
When a hole or tear occurs in your eardrum, your middle ear becomes more vulnerable to infections. It can also lead to hearing loss as the rupture prevents sound waves from transferring correctly to the middle ear.
Although some burst eardrums heal naturally, some cases require medical treatment.
Symptoms of a perforated eardrum
Some people do not realise their eardrum is ruptured until they start to experience symptoms.
Common symptoms of a ruptured eardrum can include:
- Muffled hearing
- Hearing loss
- Sharp pain in your ear
- A clear fluid, pus or blood leaking from your ear
- Buzzing or ringing sounds (tinnitus)
- Dizziness
- Itching inside the ear
- A high temperature (fever)
You need to seek urgent medical advice if:
- You have sudden hearing loss
- Your hearing gets worse
- You have hearing loss and ear pain or fluid exiting your ear
What does a burst eardrum feel like?
A burst eardrum may feel like a sharp, sudden pain inside your ear. This pain usually occurs if something sharp damages your eardrum or if something hits your ear forcefully.
For those who don’t experience pain, most of their symptoms will involve their ability to hear. If your hearing ability has suddenly regressed or weakened, you may need to see a medical specialist.
What causes a burst eardrum?
The most common reason for a burst eardrum is a middle ear infection. Fluid builds up in the middle ear and the pressure causes your eardrum to rupture.
Other causes of a burst eardrum may include:
- Foreign objects inserted into your ear – something small, like a cotton bud to remove ear wax, can accidentally scratch or tear your eardrum
- Trauma or injury – a forceful hit to the ear or side of the head can rupture your eardrum
- Ear barotrauma – the air pressure in your middle ear differs from your environment’s. If the pressure is too much, your eardrum can burst. Air travel can cause barotrauma, but it can also occur with sudden pressure changes, like in scuba diving
- Sudden loud noises – your eardrum can rupture if you’re near significant noise, such as an explosion or a gun firing
To find out more, visit our guide on what causes a perforated eardrum.
Sleeping when you have a burst eardrum
You might be concerned about sleeping on the affected side of a burst eardrum. However, you can sleep on either side without worsening your condition.
Learn more about sleeping when you have a burst eardrum in our article ‘How to sleep with a ruptured eardrum’.
Treating a burst eardrum
A burst eardrum usually gets better on its own within two months. A doctor might prescribe antibiotics for an ear infection or to stop one from developing while your eardrum heals.
You may need an eardrum surgery called a myringoplasty if your burst eardrum is severe or will not close by itself.
To perform the myringoplasty, your surgeon will make a small cut behind your ear to access your eardrum. They’ll take a graft from just beneath the skin behind your ear or a small piece of cartilage from your tragus (the small, hard part in front of your ear hole).
The surgery’s goal is to lift your eardrum. A small skin graft that’s been taken from underneath your skin is placed under the hole to repair your burst eardrum.
Myringoplasties are a day case procedure, meaning you can go home the same day. The surgeon will use a general anaesthetic, so you’ll be asleep throughout the procedure. Myringoplasties can take up to two hours.
It can take around two weeks for you to recover fully. You must protect your eardrum and follow the aftercare advice provided by your surgeon to ensure the treatment works.
Find your local practitioner with the help of PHIN
A burst eardrum is more common than you may think, but some people don’t know they have one. An ENT doctor can help if you have the symptoms of a possible burst eardrum or have one that hasn’t healed.
PHIN offers free access to a directory of local, private ENT doctors and surgeons so you can quickly find the right specialists. Browse these consultant profiles and learn all you need to make an informed decision.
Using the PHIN website makes it quick and straightforward to find your personal ENT doctor.
Sources
- Perforated eardrum. NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/perforated-eardrum/. Last reviewed 19 April 2023.
- Ear. Manual Therapy for Cranial Nerves. https://www.sciencedirect.com/sdfe/pdf/download/eid/3-s2.0-B9780702031007500288/first-page-pdf. Last reviewed 29 March 2024.
- Hole in the eardrum & myringoplasty. ENTUK. https://www.entuk.org/patients/conditions/9/hole_in_the_eardrum_myringoplasty_update/. Last reviewed 21 October 2021.
