Glue ear
Symptoms

The main symptom of glue ear is hearing loss. Most children will only experience very mild hearing loss, such as slightly muffled hearing in one ear. In others, hearing loss can be much more severe and can result in almost complete deafness. The level of hearing loss will depend on whether one, or both, ears are affected. It will also be determined by the thickness of the fluid inside the ear. The thicker the fluid, the more hearing is affected.

Young children and babies may not be aware that there is anything wrong with their hearing, so parents and teachers should be aware that glue ear can contribute to other difficulties, such as those outlined below.

• Problems with speech, language or social interaction.
• Clumsiness or balance problems.
• Appearing to have 'selective hearing' - for example, disobeying verbal instructions.
• Turning up the volume on the television, or radio, or often saying 'pardon' or 'what'.
• In the case of babies, being less responsive to sounds.

Children with glue ear sometimes complain of slight earache. If your child develops symptoms of acute pain and fever, they may have also developed an ear infection. Contact your GP if your child develops symptoms such as these.