Perforated Eardrum: First Aid, What to Avoid, and Healing Follow-up
Safe first aid after a blow, cotton bud, blast, or pressure injury: keeping the ear dry, warning signs, and follow-up.
Published: 2026-07-16 · Updated: 2026-07-16
How can I tell if my eardrum is perforated?
After a blow, object in the ear, blast, or pressure change, there may be sudden pain, hearing loss, tinnitus, bloody or clear discharge, and dizziness. Diagnosis requires a proper view of the eardrum.
- Keep a traumatised ear dry, insert nothing, and avoid forceful nose blowing. Marked sudden hearing loss, severe vertigo, heavy bleeding, or head injury is urgent. Most holes close spontaneously, but healing and hearing should be checked.
How can the eardrum perforate?
Cotton buds or other objects, a hard slap, blast, diving or flight pressure, and some infections can open the eardrum. Sudden pain may be followed by hearing loss, tinnitus, bloody or clear discharge, and dizziness. Inner-ear or ossicular injury can feel similar, so examination matters.
Safe first aid
Keep the ear dry and do not try to clean the canal. Do not add drops, oil, alcohol, peroxide, or cotton buds, and avoid forceful nose blowing. Gently collect discharge at the outside with clean gauze without blocking the canal. Significant head trauma takes emergency priority.
Examination and follow-up
A clinician carefully examines the canal and eardrum; audiometry may be used for meaningful hearing loss. Most traumatic holes tend to close over several weeks. Water protection, watching for infection, and follow-up confirm healing. A persistent hole or conductive loss needs further assessment.
Urgent versus planned care
Marked sudden hearing loss, severe or persistent vertigo, facial weakness, heavy bleeding, clear fluid suggesting a skull-base injury, or serious head trauma is urgent. Less severe injuries still need timely ENT follow-up. If the hole remains or discharge recurs, patching or tympanoplasty is considered individually.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How can I tell if my eardrum is perforated?
- After a blow, object in the ear, blast, or pressure change, there may be sudden pain, hearing loss, tinnitus, bloody or clear discharge, and dizziness. Diagnosis requires a proper view of the eardrum.
- What should I do immediately?
- Keep the ear dry, put no drops, cotton buds, or other substances inside, and avoid forceful nose blowing. Severe vertigo, marked sudden hearing loss, heavy bleeding, or head injury needs urgent assessment.
- Can I shower with a perforated eardrum?
- Water should not enter the ear. A petroleum-jelly-coated cotton barrier may sit at the outer entrance during a shower, without being pushed inward. Avoid swimming and submersion until healing is confirmed.
- Can I use ear drops?
- Do not use drops unless a clinician recommends them. With an open eardrum, some products can reach the middle ear and may be unsuitable. If infection or discharge is present, the examining clinician selects a safe option.
- Will a perforated eardrum heal itself?
- Most traumatic perforations close over several weeks, although large, damaged, or infected perforations can heal more slowly. Follow-up should confirm closure and hearing recovery.
- When is surgery needed?
- A persistent hole, recurrent discharge, or hearing loss may lead to patching or tympanoplasty. Location, size, healing time, hearing tests, and middle-ear condition guide the decision.
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Every patient's anatomy, expectations and clinical picture is different. Reach us on WhatsApp or via the contact form — Prof. Dr. Hasan Ahmet Özdoğan will get back with a personalised assessment.
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- Traumatic tympanic membrane perforations— CMAJ
- Perforated eardrum— NHS
- Eardrum perforation— The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust
- Traumatic tympanic membrane perforation— NHS Borders