Do ENT can tell if you have destroyed Ear drums by just looking inside by using a flashlight?

[Anonymous]

I went to ENT and I had a mini cys on my ear and after so many doctors saying they dont feel it. This doctor said he can feel it but its very tiny and he checked my ears asked if there's pain there's bleeding I said no to all he then used a flashlight gun where doctor can check inside of your eyes to see the inside of it I don't know what is called. And he said my diagnosis is just my ears are okay and what Im just feeling is just muscle part of jaw that I thought is tiny bump on my ear. So am Im asking can they tell it if you have destroyed eardrum just by using that gun flashlight to check your ear inside?

[Oliverlogan263]

Hmm from what I've heard, it can be hard to fully tell the condition of the eardrum just by looking with an otoscope (that flashlight tool). Some thoughts:

- If it was clearly ruptured or had a big hole, yeah they'd probably see that right away.

- But minor scarring, thinning, or very tiny perforations could be missed just by visual exam alone.

- The eardrum is thin and delicate, so even undamaged parts may look a little funky sometimes naturally.

- The doc was probably right that no pain or bleeding is a good sign it's not like actively leaking or ruptured currently.

- If you've been worried for a while, maybe ask the ENT about getting your ears checked with microscopy or an audiogram test. Those give a closer look.

Don't wanna scare you if they said it looked fine! But if concerns persist, a more thorough exam couldn't hurt. As long as it's not bugging you too much now, I wouldn't stress. But nice you're getting it checked sis - better safe than sorry with ear stuff!

[Sonorous]

Yeah. If they can see down to the end of the ear canal, then they'd be able to see the tympanic membrane. And any damage would be very visible. Any damage past the tympanic membrane would impossible to see without surgery.