###Human: My ears are blocked with pain and discomfort and ear drops did not help. Why? ###Assistant: Hello. It does not necessarily have to be due to earbuds causing otitis externa though that could be one possibility. There are others also. Can you tell me if you had a cold recently? Does it feel like there is a fluid inside the ear? Do you feel like you need to pop your ears? Is there any throat irritation? How severe is the earache? It could be secondary to middle ear infection also.