Can you see the eardrum with an otoscope?

If you have done the ear examination, you may saw special equipment that can check your inside ear, called an otoscope. But, you still don’t know what can see or how to use the otoscope. In this article we will introduce the following parts:

1. What Is an otoscope?

An otoscope is a medical device for looking at the ear. Health care workers use otoscopes to screen for diseases during regular examinations and to investigate ear symptoms. The otoscope may give you a view of the ear canal and the eardrum. Because the tympanic membrane is the boundary separating the external auditory canal from the middle ear, its characteristics can indicate various diseases of the middle ear space. The presence of earwax (skin), skin peeling, pus, canal skin edema, foreign bodies, and various ear diseases can mask any eardrum and seriously impair the value of performing an otoscope with a common otoscope.

2. The cautions when you using the otoscope

Three important things to keep in mind:

l Ears are very sensitive, so don't be coarse. If children are being examined, they tend to wiggle or turn their heads to see what is going on, so be careful not to hurt their ears.

l Tell the inspected what you are doing at each step. Ask them to let you know if they are in pain so that you can take out the otoscope immediately.

l Since the ear canal is not straight, you may have to move the external ear and the otoscope several times to line it up and look in. With practice, this will become easier.

3. How to use the otoscope

l To examine the ears of children or adults older than 12 months, hold the otoscope in one hand, and gently pull the outer ear up and back with the other hand. Straighten the ear canal and improve visualization. In infants under 12 months of age, gently pull the outer ear back.

l Now, slowly insert the tip of the observer (the mirror is slightly smaller than the opening and has been cleaned with an alcohol wipe) into the ear canal while looking at the otoscope.

l The sides of the ear canal can be very sensitive, so please do not apply pressure to the ear canal. May help stabilize

l Keep your hands on your face to prevent them from moving quickly.

l Do not look directly into the otoscope. Make sure you can see the ear canal. You don't need to insert the observation piece far away (just a centimeter or two).

l Tilt the tip of the viewing piece slightly toward the person's nose to follow the normal Angle of the canal.

l When viewed through the otoscope, gently move the otoscope at different angles so that you can see the tube wall and eardrum.

l Stop any signs of pain getting worse.

4. What are the results?

Usually, the ear canal is skinned and the eardrum is light gray or pearly white. The light should be reflected from a healthy eardrum. You may also have yellow or brown earwax, which is not harmful. If your ear canal and eardrum look healthy, then you probably don't have an ear infection.

If you find anything in the ear canal or behind the eardrum by otoscope, it is most likely an ear infection:

l The sky is red

l swelling

l Amber liquid

l Pus

If the light doesn't bounce off your eardrum, it's an infection that may have accumulated fluid behind the eardrum.

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