Hearing aids and glue ear

This study was designed to determine the acceptance and effectiveness of a hearing aid in the management of children with persistent hearing loss due to glue ear (otitis media with effusion [OME]). Forty-eight children with OME, in whom the main symptom was deafness, were treated with a hearing aid instead of surgery and reviewed at 3-monthly intervals over 6-12 months. Seventy-one per cent reported unequivocal satisfaction with the aid. Sixty-five per cent used the aid continuously throughout the day whilst 35% used it only at specific times of need. Ninety-eight per cent noticed a definite improvement in their hearing whilst using the aid and this was confirmed audiometrically in 100%. Disability was considered in terms of speech development and educational achievement. In 66% there had been a subjective decline in these parameters prior to aid prescription. In all but one child significant improvement was made sufficient to alleviate parental and teachers' concern. No children reported significant symptoms due to OME other than deafness and there were no complications of hearing aid usage. At follow-up, however, 13% of children continued to use a hearing aid in an ear in which the OME had resolved. This study has shown that in this preselected group of children with persistent OME and the predominant symptom of deafness, a hearing aid was an effective treatment for their deafness with high acceptance and compliance.