About your body
The Ear
The ear has two important roles. It is our organ for hearing and our organ for balance. The lining of the ear canal is coated with wax, a type of lubrication that stops the tissues from drying out.
The ear is made up of three different parts:
- The outer ear - this is the part you can see. Its shape helps to collect sound waves;
- The middle ear - separated from the outer ear by the eardrum, the middle ear contains tiny bones. These amplify the sound waves;
- The inner ear - sound waves are changed into electrical impulses and sent to the brain – giving us our sense of hearing. The sense organ for balance is located here, too.
Inside the inner ear is a series of canals filled with fluid. These canals are positioned at different angles. When the head is moved, the rolling of the fluid inside these canals tells the brain exactly how far, how fast and in what direction the head is moving – when the brain knows the position of the head, it can work out the position of the rest of the body, giving us our sense of balance.
Any of the ear’s three parts can become infected by bacteria, fungi or viruses. Children are particularly prone to middle ear infections (otitis media).
Symptoms of an ear infection can include earaches, a feeling that sounds are muffled, fluid coming out of the ear, fevers and headaches.
Continued middle ear infections and earaches may mean you have ‘serous otitis media’ or ‘glue ear’. This is when you have a lot of fluid built up in your ear. Treatment for this needs antibiotics.