Otovent Autoinflation Device - Clinically Effective Treatment for Glue Ear

I have given this product 5 stars. I can't say that it has worked 100% for me but I think that it has helped. I have had seriously blocked eustachian tubes for nearly 4 years now. My ears will not pop, there is a horrible 'full' cotton-woolly feeling in my head (that explains a lot LOL) and I can't hear properly, especially when singing in the two choirs I belong to. I have seen numerous doctors and consultants who seem to be able to do nothing at all. I was prescribed steroid nasal spray for ears?) which did not work at all, dried up my nose, gave me a sore throat. The medics really did have absolutely no idea. Hearing tests normal. Pressure tests normal. But they ignore symptoms and post-nasal drip. Decided I would give in and have grommets and the consultant refused. I asked about ballon dilation therapy where they put very, very tiny thin balloons inside the eustachian tubes and fill them with water to expand the tubes to allow the air through to equalise the pressure in the ear. Not available, still being trialled, perhaps in a few years. Too late. Have tried saline in neti pot, crystals, standing on my head, reflexology, nasal sprays, essential oils, steam etc to no avail. Note of desperation. Anyway whilst searching the internet to find out if there was anything further about the balloon dilation thing I found this Otovent so clutching at straws I ordered one. It is the nearest thing to making a difference so far. I've been using it for about 4 weeks now and there is some improvement. Although I cannot say that it is completely cured. At least it is doing no harm. The product seems a little expensive but the little plastic nose piece does work very well and is robust. I think it would be much improved by having more balloons with it (you get 5, 10 would be more realistic). You should be able to buy replacement balloons of the right type. I bought some ordinary 'party' balloons of the same size and found that you have to blow them up once by mouth to be able to inflate with the nostril whilst the Otovent ones supplied are possible to blow up with the nostril without doing this. I strongly feel that had even one of the learned doctors or consultants suggested this item when I first had this problem I'm sure it would have cured it. I think then with occasional use to keep the tubes open I think I would not be having this constant problem with the tubes. Now I think there is so much damage to the tubes I wonder if they will ever unblock properly. If you have blocked eustachian tubes then it is well worth trying this product. It does not involve any medication, steroids, surgery or grommets so you have nothing to lose. It should be more widely known about in the medical profession. Any doctors reading this take careful note!

Honestly, my initial reaction was: why did I just pay 8 quid for a plastic chess pawn, and some balloons? But it's cheaper than taking lots of time off work to deal with my child's glue ear. Some medical background first. The principle behind the Otovent is called Autoinflation, which means any method of raising pressure within the nose, in order to force air through the Eustachian tube (the bit that connects the inner ear cavity to the pharynx). This method has been around since the 1800s, and it can be done a variety of devices (search the web for 'Politzer manoeuvre' if you want to read more). This may be an effective treatment for otitis media with effusion in some people. The Cochrane Database performed a systemic review of research on these devices in May 2013 (PubMed ID 23728660, if you're interested). This means that they went back and looked at every previous medical trial of autoinflation devices. Their conclusion was: "All of the studies were small, of limited treatment duration and had short follow-up. However, because of the low cost and absence of adverse effects it is reasonable to consider autoinflation whilst awaiting natural resolution of otitis media with effusion." Now, as the parent of a 3-year-old who is afflicted by glue ear, I was keen to give this a chance. Trying it on myself, I could reliably make my ears 'pop' through using it, so there's definitely some pressure effect going on. My child finds it difficult to use (it really does need some firm blowing!), but she can inflate the balloon with effort, and it does seem to give her some relief. My take is that it's affordable, doesn't do any harm, and it may be more effective than no treatment. Just don't expect miracles. Also, this review should not be taken as medical advice.

My seven year old has had glue in her ears for years now. Out trips to the GP involve the usual drill..".Paracetamol for the pain, Otoscope to look into the ear..declare it dull..depressed..reddish..etc..and wait and watch...it should clear on its own anywhere from 3 months to one year." Now with a seven year old catching a cough and a cold every month or so since she started school at 4 years old, the fluid had no chance of clearing by itself. By the time one cold was done, she had caught another. Still no one could do anything. I was always relieved that no grommets were recommended. I couldn't bear the idea of puncturing my little girls eardrums. December 2014 after a rush to the A and E with my child vomiting and screaming with ear pain and deafness in her right ear, we were given paracetamol and sent home. I made an appointment with the GP who said, there was glue in her ears and the ear drum was red, depressed and inflamed. Wait and watch for a few months..I was frustrated and wept my eyes out. Then I thought let's use the internet and look for other treatments..homeopathic, ayurvedic, alternative therapies etc. In the middle of my research I came across a review in Amazon from someone on Otovent. After a whole lot of research and a very detailed discussion with my seven year old to commit to this device for 4 weeks..3 times a day..I bought a couple of packs. Instructions on how to use were limited and the first few days were trial and error. I even contacted the Otovent head office in Sweden and they directed me to a demo video which both my incredible 7 year old and i watched a hundred times. 4 weeks will be up in two days time. We met our GP at the end of week three because he owns and is licensed to use an Otoscope to peer into my child's ear. All I wanted was a slight improvement or a progress report on the glue. He was wondering why I came back within 3 weeks when wait and watch is at a minimum of 3 months! I said I had been using Otovent which was an NHS approved safe device (which by the way is freely available for children on the NHS) and wanted to see progress. I held my breath as he looked in the less affected ear, then he looked into the most affected ear. He declared that one ear was completely free of glue, while the other looked remarkably healthy with just ta small amount of glue- level they consider "normal". I almost burst into tears with relief. All my questions, objections, annoyance at not been offered Otovent all these years fell by the way side.I said thank you, and left triumphantly with my child high-fiving the brave soul outside. We are due to go on a long flight at the end of March. I will be carrying Otovent with me. My child has been suffering motion sickness for years..The suspicion is on the poor functioning of the middle ear area(responsible for motion sickness) perhaps due to the presence of glue?. Im just curious to see if the clearing of the glue would provide her relief on that front. If it doesn't I will embark on another project of finding some other relief for that too.. Good luck everyone..

Works and is the medically recommended option. But definitely overpriced considering what you get. There are alternatives that give you more for less but without the NHS co-sign.

Ordered after being advised by audiologist, arrive quickly than expected. Problem is already resolving

My wife and I cannot recommend this product highly enough. I realise this is a rambling review but I suspect many a parent will be in this position, so I thought it ok to post the long version in order to identify with our situation. Our normally well behaved six year old son started misbehaving in class at School. This got steadily worse, so much so that we even checked his hairline at the back of his neck for treble sixes. Luckily we didn't find any. We booked a hearing test for him and the results showed that he had only forty per cent hearing capacity. The right ear was full of fluid and the left one was almost the same. Coupled with this, he had an accumulation of wax in both ears. Both of these ailments, according to the specialist, was very likely the cause of his behavioural change. We came away from the clinic with a prescription for antibiotics to clear the fluid and some Bicarbonate drops to soften the wax. Some weeks later when both had been finished we noticed a slight improvement with his hearing but his behaviour quickly returned to pre medication stage. So much so that my wife was regularly asked to `Step into the office' of either the Teacher or Head Teacher when picking him after School. Our normally well behaved son was constantly on the report card, being told off or sent out of class during lessons. A few days later we took him back to the Doctors and he prescribed more antibiotics and drops. My wife asked if there was anything else we could try as she was reluctant to pump a six year old full of drugs. She was offered micro suction for him on both ears which she readily accepted and an appointment was given. At the clinic the following week, every other child merrily went in and out of the surgery room and had suction. Our son went in and endured it for about two minutes and then burst into tears, exclaiming it was hurting inside his head. My wife tried to coax him into having it completed in order to improve his hearing but he just ended up sobbing his little heart out. The consultant was extremely considerate and said that one in ten children reacted this way and that an option was to repeat the op but with him under sedation. She got an appointment and four weeks later he was sedated and both ears properly drained of fluid. The change in our son was amazing, no longer on the report cards, always smiling and happy, never once in trouble at School. Even the Teacher constantly remarked about how his behaviour had changed almost overnight for the better. Unfortunately this amazing change was short lived, his hearing gradually reduced and went to thirty per cent within five weeks. His behaviour returned to Damien Omen proportions and this had a knock on effect on the whole family as everyone was constantly bickering. Once again we approached the Doctor and this time he recommended grommets in both ears to drain the fluid. After checking out various websites re this procedure I was loathe to put my son through this as most people said that they fell out within days or weeks; and had to go through it all again to have them replaced. My wife insisted that there wasn't another option and that we had been in and out of the Doctors and clinics for well over a year! The operation was the best thing for him and to get it done quickly as his School work was suffering. A day later we got a phone call saying that they had a cancellation and that our son could have his fitted the following Friday, which was only six days away. My wife agreed and he was booked in for the op. I was still totally against it, and totally unconvinced that there wasn't an alternative solution. In desperation I typed in `Cures for fluid in the ear' in Google and the first thing that came up was the Otovent Balloon. After reading about the product and watching the short movie clip on how it worked, I bought one off Amazon and paid for next day delivery. Once at home we made a game of blowing it up, with me pretending I couldn't inflate the balloon with my nostril, letting my son `Beat me' at blowing it up every time. This removed the seriousness from the procedure and at the first attempt on the second nostril, he shouted `Daddy my ear just went POP'! He was chuckling every time he inflated the balloon saying its crackling now, not popping. We made him do this four times on each nostril twice a day and by the fourth day I was convinced his hearing had improved dramatically. I knew this as my wife and I had always tested his hearing by whispering his name whilst stood behind him. Every time we had done this previously, he hadn't responded. After using the balloon and trying it, he turned round immediately asking what did I want, why was I calling his name! Desperate for him not to undergo surgery, I called the clinic and explained what we had done and that we would like an immediate hearing test. If all was well, then he wouldn't need grommets and some other child who did want them, could have the appointment. The clinic was more than willing to sort this out and we went in the next day at 8.30am. After conducting an audiology test and examining for fluid, the consultant was amazed that his hearing was slightly above the National average for children and the fluid had all but drained away! My wife was so happy she burst into tears in the consulting room! Our son still inflates the balloon morning and night, to prevent a recurrence of fluid and hearing loss. His Teacher has informed us that his behaviour is excellent and she never has to reprimand him during lessons. At home he has reverted back to the loving happy little boy we all know and he even gets on with his younger brother better than ever. We thoroughly recommend this product to any parent who would prefer their child to not have grommets.

I'm just 60 years old and in the middle of November last year I had a really nasty virus which left me with a head full of mucus. My ears had both become blocked and then over Christmas my right ear cleared on it's own, but my left ear became even more blocked, and started to make whistling sounds day and night which I presumed was tinnitus. I couldn't sleep properly, I found it really difficult to be anywhere crowded because voices sounded jumbled, crunching food sounded really loud, couldn't hear the TV very well, could hardly use the phone etc ............it was all getting me down!! Last week I went to the doctor's and he said that I had glue ear and he could see mucus right behind my ear drum, and my eustachian tube must be completely blocked. I was given a steroid inhaler, told to continue with Vick inhalation and it would all clear up within 3 - 4 weeks!! I really didn't like the idea of having to cope with this for potentially another month, so I searched online and came across Otovent. I found some very good demos on 'youtube' and was very keen to get started, it sounded so clever and I like the idea of not pumping drugs into myself. I've now been using it 3 times a day for just 3 days, and I'm absolutely delighted with the results. For the first couple of days I just inflated the balloon and I couldn't feel anything happening, but today I decided to move on to Phase 2 and allow the inflated balloon to deflate into my nostrils while swallowing water..............it takes a bit of practise but I'm so pleased that I tried it. Afterwards my left ear felt full and I felt slightly dizzy, but then after about 30 minutes I felt a pressure release in my blocked ear, and a small glug. Brilliant!! Then all morning about every 20 minutes I felt another small glug in my ear, and I then realised that my hearing wasn't so muffled and the tinnitus was very much reduced. I shall carry on using Vick inhalation to thin the mucous, followed by using Otovent and all being well I feel as if I'm well on the way to being back to normal. I've never had any ear problems before, so thank you Otovent for helping me to overcome this. It would be good if doctors advised patients to use Otovent to speed up their recovery, it's such a simple and effective system to use.

Does the trick. My son thinks it’s a game and love to do it.

Me ha gustado..me ayudo con los problemas de mi oído y he conseguido quitar el ruido

مااستفدت منه شيء كل شوي تنفقع

耳管狭窄症で通院していましたが、この商品のほうが効く。風船が膨らまなくても、耳管がバリっというので空気は通る気がします。

Il prezzo é effettivamente elevato per un pezzo di plastica e 5 palloncini, però è talmente efficace che non mi sento di dare meno di 5*. Mi ha aiutato a superare problemi all’orecchio medio che mi portavo avanti da MESI. Non so per quanto avrò risultati, se sarà risolutivo nel lungo, ma al momento non posso che ringraziare.

Product arrived quickly & as expected. This product was recommended for use by an EENT doctor for draining fluid retained in the ear. It worked for my child.