Mixed feelings about this device. I fly fairly frequently, having family abroad, and always experience ear pain despite using earplane ear plugs, taking decongestants, yawning and stretching etc etc... Fellow passengers must wonder what institution I've escaped from if they are unfortunate enough to sit next to me. Now I can add trying to inflate a balloon with my nostrils to this already impressive list. Did it work? Sort of. I have only ever managed to partially inflate the balloon no matter how hard I try. However, I did manage to pop my right ear as we descended for the first time ever so that was definitely a result. My left ear, and the balloon, stayed stubbornly unmoved. Half a success, but enough to convince me to try again next time despite feeling like a plonker. It's not cheap, for a small piece of plastic and a balloon, but if I can get the hang of it and it works, it would be priceless. I'll update my review if I have better success next time.

It's quite hard to inflate and it makes my ears more painful. Functionally, it appears to me that it is no diff to closing one nostril and blowing on the other

All I can say is this is like a miracle cure for me, I had nasel surgery 8 weeks ago, but for the last 4 weeks I have suffered from what was like water in my ear and it’s really got me down, I ended up at ENT as I phoned the hospital for advice. I had a hearing test and was nearly deaf in my left ear, they told me to get the Otovent which I got yesterday, after just using it for one day, my hearing has come back and the water has gone! HIGHTLY RECOMMENDED.

I bought the otovent after suffering for three weeks with a blocked ear after flying. The product is very easy to use but do make sure you swallow while using then you will feel the benefit. After using for a day my ear is back to normal.

Wish I’d known about these years ago, they’re amazing. I’d been suffering with block ears for months, these worked within 10 days when nothing else had helped. Keeping some in my first aid box and wouldn’t fly without them.

I experience severe ear pain and deafness during the descent of a plane while going in holiday. It's got worse as I've got older, in fact as a child it didn't bother me. I tried all the sucking sweets, yawning, drinking, holding your nose and blowing etc techniques and they simply didn't work for me. Last year on the way to Cyprus it reduced me to tears so i looked for something to help. I used this device on a recent holiday. I practised first to make sure i knew what i was doing and yes I looked silly a grown woman blowing up a balloon with my nose but if it worked I really didn't care. At first I thought it wasn't working but as the pressure in my ear grew to the point I thought it would begin to hurt i inflated the device and my ear on one side popped back enough to regain my hearing and relieve the pressure stopping the uncomfortable feeling. It made a crackling noise when it did it! I used it again on the way home. I don't know this time if i didn't need it on that occasion or if the device worked really well but i didn't get the ear pain at all. It's a simple device and inexpensive and it worked for me at a point when I was in so much pain I was considering not travelling by plane any more.

Great at decompressing ears for flying.