Sudden hearing loss is a medical emergency.
If your hearing dropped suddenly, usually in one ear, over hours or a day or two, you need an ENT now, not a hearing aid appointment.
If your hearing dropped suddenly, do not book an appointment with us first.
Call an ENT today. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is treatable, but the window is short and it is closing while you read this.
When you reach the office, say this:
That phrasing matters. It tells the scheduler this is not a routine hearing appointment. If you cannot reach an ENT, go to urgent care or an emergency room.
What it is
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is a rapid drop in hearing, usually in one ear, that develops over hours or a couple of days. Some people notice it on waking. It is often accompanied by ringing, a plugged or full sensation, or dizziness.
It is frequently mistaken for wax, congestion, or a lingering cold, which is exactly why people wait. Waiting is the thing that costs hearing.
Why it is urgent
The standard treatment is corticosteroids, and clinical guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology recommend offering them as initial therapy within two weeks of symptom onset. Most spontaneous recovery also happens during those first two weeks, with little improvement seen after four to six weeks.
There is also a salvage option. Guidelines recommend intratympanic steroid therapy for incomplete recovery between two and six weeks after onset. But the earlier treatment begins, the better the odds.
What we can do, and when
We are not the right first call for this. We do not prescribe steroids and hearing aids are not the answer to an untreated sudden loss.
What we can do is see you afterward. Once you have been evaluated and treated, we will test your hearing, document where things stand, and talk about options if some loss remains. We are not going anywhere.
What is not this
Gradual hearing loss over months or years is not an emergency, and neither is muffled hearing from wax or a head cold that clears up. This page is specifically about a sudden, noticeable drop, most often in one ear.
If you are not sure which one you are dealing with, err on the side of being seen urgently. Nobody has ever regretted going too fast on this one.
Sources: American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation clinical practice guideline on sudden hearing loss. This page is general information and is not a substitute for evaluation by a physician.
Once you have been treated, come see us.
Call us, or send a request and we will follow up. Please leave medical details out of the form; we will cover those in person.
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