If the eardrum is absent, listening to sound can result in symptoms such as hearing loss, tinnitus, or even sudden loss of hearing. Because the eardrum acts like a drum skin, the vibrations produce sound when the drum skin is intact. If the drum skin has a hole, the sound of the drum will become smaller and dirt will easily enter the drum. If the drum skin is all gone, there is nothing that can vibrate to produce sound. The tympanic membrane is similar to the tympanic skin, so if the tympanic membrane is not there, hearing damage is one thing, and the middle ear cavity is directly exposed, which can easily cause middle ear inflammation and even inner ear inflammation and neurological damage.