Ear exam

An ear exam may be done:

• As part of a routine physical exam.
• As part of the process to screen newborns for hearing loss.
• To find the cause of symptoms such as earache, a feeling of pressure or fullness in the ear, or hearing loss.
• To check for excess wax buildup or an object in the ear canal.
• To find the location of an ear infection. The infection may just be in the external ear canal (otitis externa). Or it might be in the middle ear behind the eardrum (otitis media).
• To see how the treatment for an ear problem is working.

An ear exam can be done in a doctor's office, a school, or the workplace.

For an ear exam, the doctor uses a special tool called an otoscope to look into the ear canal and see the eardrum.

Your doctor will gently pull the ear back and slightly up to straighten the ear canal. For a baby under 12 months, the ear will be pulled downward and out to straighten the ear canal. The doctor will then insert the pointed end (speculum) of the otoscope into the ear and gently move the speculum through the middle of the ear canal to avoid irritating the canal lining. The doctor will look at each eardrum (tympanic membrane).

Using a pneumatic otoscope lets your doctor see what the eardrum looks like. It also shows how well the eardrum moves when the pressure inside the ear canal changes. It helps the doctor see if there is a problem with the eustachian tube or fluid behind the eardrum (otitis media with effusion). A normal eardrum will flex inward and outward in response to the changes in pressure.

It is important to sit very still during an ear exam. A young child should be lying down with their head turned to the side. Or the child may sit on an adult's lap with the child's head resting securely on the adult's chest. Older children and adults can sit with the head tilted slightly toward the opposite shoulder.

Your doctor may need to remove earwax in order to see the eardrum.