The air in your middle ear is also at ambient pressure. It is
uncomfortable because to get to ambient pressure your eardrum has to
squeeze in. It is still at ambiet pressure. The discomfort is relieved
when you put more volume of air into the inner ear to remove the
stetching of the eardrum.

Wrong: If there is discomfort due to a squeezed eardrum, then the
pressure in the middle ear is _slightly_ above or below ambient.
The discomfort/pain you feel is measuring that pressure gradient.