Symptoms:

Unlike children with an ear infection, children with OME do not act sick.

OME often does not have obvious symptoms.

Older children and adults often complain of muffled hearing or a sense of fullness in the ear. Younger children may turn up the television volume because of hearing loss.

Signs and tests:

The health care provider may find OME while checking a child's ears after an ear infection has been treated.

OME may also be diagnosed when the health care provider examines the ear for another reason, such as at a well-child physical.

The health care provider will look for certain changes when examining the eardrum:

• Air bubbles on the surface of the eardrum
• Dullness of the eardrum when a light is used
• Eardrum that does not seem to move when little puffs of air are blown at it
• Fluid behind the eardrum

A test called tympanometry is a more accurate tool for diagnosing OME. The results of this test can help tell the amount and thickness of the fluid.

An acoustic otoscope or reflectometer is a more portable device that accurately detects the presence of fluid in the middle ear.

An audiometer or some other type of formal hearing test may help the health care provider decide what treatment is needed.