The Nurse Is Performing Middle Ear Assessment on a 15-Year-Old

The nurse is performing middle ear assessment on a 15-year-old patient who has a history of chronic ear infections.When examining the right tympanic membrane,the nurse sees dense white patches.The tympanic membrane is otherwise unremarkable.It is pearly,with the light reflex at 5 o'clock and visible landmarks.The nurse should:

A) refer the patient for investigating the possibility of a fungal infection.
B) know that these are scars caused from frequent ear infections.
C) consider that these findings may be an indication of blood in the middle ear.
D) be concerned about the patient's ability to hear because of this abnormality of the tympanic membrane.