An ear infection occurs when a bacterial or viral infection affects the middle ear which can be acute or chronic affecting the sections of your ear just behind the eardrum. Ear infections can be painful due to inflammation and fluid buildup in the middle ear. Acute ear infections are painful and yet short in duration whereas, chronic ear infections either don’t clear up or recur several times. Chronic ear infections can origin permanent damage to the middle and inner ear.

Your healthcare professional will examine your ears with an instrument called an otoscope that has a light and magnifying lens. Examination may reveal:

redness, air bubbles, or pus-like fluid inside the middle ear

fluid draining from the middle ear

a perforation in the eardrum

a bulging or collapsed eardrum

If your infection is radical, your doctor may take a sample of the fluid inside your ear and test it to examine if certain types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are exist.