Table of contents:
- What does a ruptured eardrum look like, anyway?
- What are the symptoms of a burst eardrum?
- What causes a ruptured eardrum?
- 1. Entry of foreign particles
- 2. Middle ear infection (otitis media)
- 3. Hearing sounds too loud
- 4. High pressure in the ear
- 5. Severe head injury
The eardrum is one of the most important parts of the sense of hearing for picking up external sounds. With eardrums, you can enjoy music, birds singing, and other sounds. However, many people say that the habit of cleaning the ears with cotton bud and the pressure on a plane can cause the eardrum to burst. Is that true?
What does a ruptured eardrum look like, anyway?
A ruptured eardrum in medical terms is called a tympanic membrane perforation. This occurs when the tympanic membrane is torn so that it is hollow. The tympanic membrane is a thin tissue that divides the middle ear and outer ear canal.
Normally, the tympanic membrane will vibrate when sound waves enter the ear. These vibrations will be transmitted to the hearing bones in the middle ear and converted into nerve impulses to the brain, so you can hear the sound that comes in.
If the eardrum is ruptured or damaged, the middle ear certainly cannot receive vibrations. Depending on the severity of your condition, you are at risk for temporary or permanent hearing loss.
What are the symptoms of a burst eardrum?
Ear pain is one of the most common symptoms of a ruptured eardrum. This is usually accompanied by other symptoms such as:
- The ear canal is filled with pus.
- Bleeding ears.
- Hearing loss.
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
- Vertigo.
- Nausea and vomiting, usually caused by vertigo.
What causes a ruptured eardrum?
There are many causes for a ruptured eardrum, namely:
1. Entry of foreign particles
Foreign particles that enter too deep into the ear can increase the risk of the eardrum rupture. This includes those of you who frequently clean your ears cotton bud or an ear cleaner, these objects can further injure the ear, push wax in the ear, and lead to infection.
This condition is very often experienced by children who like to insert foreign objects into their ears. So, watch out for parents and keep an eye on your child while playing.
2. Middle ear infection (otitis media)
Middle ear infection or otitis media is one of the most common causes of a ruptured eardrum, especially in children. This is because too much fluid builds up behind the eardrum. As a result, the resulting pressure puts the eardrum at risk of tearing and rupture.
3. Hearing sounds too loud
Shock at the sound of lightning, explosions, or very loud gunfire can also burst the eardrums. Likewise for those of you who are not used to watching concerts with sound speaker hard, so you should be careful with the risk of the eardrum ruptured.
4. High pressure in the ear
High pressure in the ear or barotrauma is a condition when the air pressure in the middle ear and the outside environment is imbalanced, often when you get on an airplane. When an airplane takes off, the pressure in the cabin of the plane will drop or increase dramatically. Meanwhile, the pressure in your ear will increase and there is a risk of causing the eardrum to burst.
In addition, barotrauma can also be caused by diving (scuba diving), speeding on the road while driving, until a direct blow to the ear.
5. Severe head injury
Severe head injury, such as skull fracture, due to an accident or blow can cause damage to the structures of the middle and inner ear. This means that your eardrum is also at risk of damage, which in turn can cause hearing loss.
