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What Is an Ear Infection?

Do you remember having an ear infection? Even if you don't remember, you probably had one. Most kids have at least one middle ear infection before they are 2 years old. These infections can cause ear pain and a fever.

What Is a Middle Ear Infection?



How Do I Get an Ear Infection?




What Does the Doctor Do?

The doctor will look into your ear with a special flashlight called an otoscope (say: OH-te-skope). With the otoscope, the doctor can see your eardrum, the thin membrane between your outer and middle ear.

The doctor may use the otoscope to blow a little puff of air in your ear. Why? To see if the air causes your eardrum to move the way a healthy eardrum does. An infected eardrum won't move as it should because the pus presses against it and may make it bulge. An infection also can make the eardrum red.

If you have an ear infection, the doctor will make a decision about what to do next. He or she might ask your parent to watch you over the next day or two to see if you get any better. The doctor also might suggest a pain reliever to keep you comfortable.

If bacteria are causing the problem, the doctor might prescribe a medicine called an antibiotic (say: an-ty-by-AH-tik), which usually clears up a bacterial infection, so you'll feel better in a few days.

If you are given an antibiotic, it's very important to keep taking the medicine for as many days as the doctor instructs — even if your ear stops hurting. If you don't take all the medicine, the infection could come back and your ear will start hurting again.

A kid who has chronic, or frequent, ear infections might need a few other tests. They include an audiogram (say: AW-dee-uh-gram), which tests your hearing, and a tympanogram (say: tim-PAH-noh-gram), a machine that checks whether your eardrum moves normally.

How to Prevent Ear Infections

What can kids do to prevent ear infections? You can avoid places where people are smoking, for one. Cigarette smoke can keep your eustachian tubes from working properly.

You also can try not to catch colds. These steps can help:

  • Stay away from people who have colds, if possible.
  • Wash your hands regularly.
  • Try not to touch your nose and eyes.

Good luck staying clear of colds and keeping those pesky germs out of your ears!

Reviewed by: Rupal Christine Gupta, MD
Date reviewed: March 2016