Possible ear infection?

I feel terrible because my son went to go spend the night with his grandma tonight and she called me saying she thinks he has an ear infection because he keeps touching his ears. BUT since this is my first baby, I didn't think much of him touching them so much. I thought he did that as a comfort. My friends baby touches her ears to sleep. So I thought that was what he was doing. I feel terrible because he's been doing it for like two or three weeks now. He's eleven months and doesn't talk so I seriously had no way of knowing. I'm taking him straight to the doctor in the morning. But I'm posting to ask if this could do any real damage? I've tried googling it. No answers really. When he touches his ears, he doesn't cry. He just grabs them both every once in a while.