H72.1: Attic perforation of tympanic membrane

You have a hole in your eardrum.

Sounds or tones from our environment reach our ears as sound waves. The auricle and the auditory canal route the sound waves through to the eardrum. The eardrum is a thin membrane. Behind the eardrum, the middle ear begins. The eardrum routes the sound waves on to the middle ear.

You have a hole at the edge of your eardrum.

A hole may form in the eardrum if one has an inflammation in the middle ear, for example. When there is an infection in the middle ear, a lot of fluid sometimes collects in the middle ear. This creates increased pressure because the fluid is unable to drain away. The eardrum may then tear due to the pressure, so that a hole is formed in the eardrum. The fluid can drain away through the hole. An accident, too, can cause a hole in one’s eardrum. Sometimes the eardrum does not heal properly. Then a hole persists in the eardrum.

When someone has a hole in their eardrum, their hearing may be worse than usual. There may also be repeated discharges of fluid from the ear. Pathogens or water can get into the middle ear through the hole in the eardrum, for example.