When Hearing Needs A Doctor Part 1: Common Auditory Issues Referred To A Physician

What Are Some Common Auditory Issues That Get Referred To A Physician?

Your ear shouldn’t roar, spin, or suddenly go quiet—and when it does, minutes matter. We break down the exact signs that a hearing or balance problem needs a physician, not just a tune-up, and share how fast action can protect your long-term hearing and health.

We start by clarifying where audiologists shine—testing, diagnosing hearing patterns, spotting middle ear problems—and where medical partners must step in. You’ll hear why dizziness and vertigo are never “normal,” how Meniere’s disease, labyrinthitis, and even medications can trigger spinning and nausea, and what a roaring, unilateral tinnitus might be telling you. We explain asymmetry between ears, the patterns that look like age-related loss, and the red flags that point to inner ear or nerve involvement requiring ENT, otologist, or neurotologist care.

Then we tackle urgent scenarios: sudden hearing loss and the 24–48 hour treatment window. We outline what to do first, why steroids—oral or injected—are time-sensitive, and how to distinguish a wax blockage from a true sensorineural emergency. We also touch on potential neurological signs, from subtle stroke near auditory pathways to cognitive changes that show up in testing, and why collaboration with physicians ensures a complete workup. For families, we contrast common childhood ear infections and adenoid issues with adult-onset vestibular disorders that can appear at any age.

If you’ve noticed dizzy spells, one ear lagging behind, or tinnitus that roars on one side, don’t wait. Press play to learn when to call your doctor, request an ENT referral, or head to urgent care. If you’re in the DFW Metroplex, book an appointment at Total Hearing Care so we can help you hear better—and live better. Subscribe, share with someone who needs this clarity, and leave a review to help others find the show.

To learn more about Total Hearing Care visit:
https://www.TotalHearingCare.com

Total Hearing Care
Multiple Locations Across the DFW Metroplex
(469) 809-4487

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Episode Focus
• 0:27 When Audiologists Refer To Physicians
• 2:08 Dizziness And Vertigo Red Flags
• 3:16 Sudden Hearing Loss As Emergency
• 5:56 Neurological Signs And Asymmetry
• 7:34 Children Vs Adults: What To Watch
• 8:45 Closing And How To Get Care

Transcript

Welcome And Episode Focus

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Total Hearing Care Difference, where we help you experience life through better hearing. Hosted by the Experts of Total Hearing Care, a leading private audiology practice serving the DFW Metroplex, we're here to provide guidance on hearing loss, tinnitus, and the latest advancements in audiology. Transform your life through better hearing. Let's get started.

SPEAKER_02 0:27

When hearing issues go beyond the ear canal, it's time to loop in a physician. Here's what to watch for. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Sophia Ayuvet, co-host and producer, back in the studio with Dr. Jill Copley. Dr. Copley, how's it going today?

SPEAKER_01 0:43

Oh, I think it's going great. How about you? Are you doing okay today?

SPEAKER_02 0:48

Yes, and glad to be back with you, Dr. Copley. Now, today's question is what are some common auditory issues that get referred to a physician? Let's jump in.

SPEAKER_01 1:00

So as audiologist, we are allowed to um do hearing testing, diagnose certain issues with your hearing. But there are a lot of things that we need to refer to a physician if we see them, because we are not allowed to perform surgery or prescribe medication. And there are several disorders that a physician needs to see. So sometimes your regular physician can see them. For instance, if we see an infection in your ear canal or your eardrum isn't moving quite like it should, sometimes your regular physician can handle those. And then we also will refer to an ear, nose, and throat doctor or an ENT, or someone like an odolyngologist, or a neuroontologist. And those latter two focus just on the ears, and they don't do any of the other nose and throat. So they don't do throat infections or nasal infections, sinus infections, things like that. They just focus on the ears.

SPEAKER_02 2:08

Now, what symptoms typically signal that a referral is necessary?

Sudden Hearing Loss As Emergency

SPEAKER_01 2:14

So, so one of the most common symptoms that um we may see is dizziness. So if someone is describing ongoing dizziness or vertigo, especially if they're getting sick, if it's from standing up, um, things like that, we want to refer to a physician and sometimes an ENT, because that's not something we can treat. And dizziness is not normal. Um, it's it's not something people should have. And there's lots of things that can cause it, but that would need to be seen by you'd need to be seen by a physician. So that's one of the most common ones. The other one is as far as hearing goes, is if you have an asymmetry between your ears, which means that you're hearing better on one side than you're hearing in the other ear. And so if you have a large asymmetry, that can be indicative of some issues. And again, we can test for that, but um, we can't treat that until a physician looks at it and makes sure there's nothing wrong. Because our hearing tends to change gradually in both ears at the same time. And that's what we want to see. So if it's different, then that means a physician should probably see a person.

SPEAKER_02 3:28

Now, what role does dizziness or vertigo play in referrals?

SPEAKER_01 3:33

So I I mentioned um viral component. And so sometimes you have viruses or something like a um labyrinthitis, and so that's a virus in the in the inner ear, and that can cause you to be dizzy. You could have medication, um, something as simple as that that causes you to get dizzy, and the physician needs to review your medications, or it could be something like an actual disorder, such as minirs disease, and that's a common one, and that can cause dizziness. It also causes hearing loss, it causes um ringing in your ears, your tinnitus. Some people with meniers say it sounds like it's roaring in their ear. And so those we want to have treated by a physician. And that's again, those are things that the audiologist may notice and may recognize, but we can't treat those. So a physician would need to be involved.

SPEAKER_02 4:30

So, Dr. Copley, can sudden hearing loss be a medical emergency?

SPEAKER_01 4:36

So, sudden hearing loss can come from several things. And I've always told my patients if you have a sudden hearing loss, you should contact your doctor right away. Um, you may even need to go to an urgent care or an emergency room. Um, sometimes it can be as simple as wax and it just gets plugged and you can't hear very well, or it could be something more serious, such as a um a blood vessel that's broken or a virus that's gotten in there. And so that needs to be treated right away. And I would say um it needs to be treated within 24 to 48 hours to be effective. If there is a true emergency there with your ears, what the physician would do is put a steroid into your ear by injection, or maybe give you oral steroids to try to stop the um inflammation or virus from attacking the ear or the nerve. I know that's kind of confusing, and I I I'm sorry for that. There's so many things that could cause that, but I would want it treated right away. I would see a physician right away if something like that happens.

SPEAKER_02 5:49

Now, are there specific red flags that suggest neurological involvement?

SPEAKER_01 5:56

That's a that's a great question. Um, so again, that's not something we can actually um treat, but there are some things, and usually we are not catching these. Usually these are caught in a hospital. So something like even a minor stroke, you could start to have symptoms like hearing loss if you have the stroke close enough to the temporal um area of the brain or in the nerve or the nerves, um, the vascular system that's around those nerves. Um, so we may not actually see that. We may see a person kind of being confused, and that may be an indication of mild cognitive impairment or dementia, and that's something we, of course, would need to refer for. Um I know in previous podcasts we talked about how treating the hearing loss is very important, and so we want to do that, but actual um care also needs to come from a physician. And so those are some red flags. And again, the other red flag I mentioned is if the ears are different between the two, as well as if you have ringing or tetus that's really loud, that's roaring or rushing, we would refer you, as well as if you have a really loud tinnitus in one ear and not the other. Again, things should happen kind of symmetrically, this the same in both sides. Um, and if it doesn't, then that's a red flag for us to refer.

SPEAKER_02 7:25

One final question for you today, Dr. Cropley. What is the age range of when you want to start looking out for these issues?

SPEAKER_01 7:34

So usually a physician is going to be following a child, and a lot of time children's will have children, I'm sorry, will have ear infections. And so those can be easily treated by a physician or an ENT. Um, they may have associated things like tonsillitis or adenoiditis, um, where they need to have their tonsils or adenoids removed. And so those are common disorders for um children. As an adult, um, it could happen anytime. And so we're always on the lookout for that. And that's why we do a case history and when we do our testing, we're looking for those things. So I can't really say, oh, it's going to happen when you're 30 or when you're 70. Um, of course, we know that strokes and things like that happen usually as we're older. But these kinds of things with the meniers or even the labyrinthitis or, you know, or the single-sided changes in your ears, those can happen to anybody.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

Wow. Thank you so much, Dr. Copley. Always enlightening to hear your perspective. We will see you next time.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

Okay, thank you. Thanks for having us discuss this important topic.

SPEAKER_00 8:45

Thank you for listening to the Total Hearing Care Difference. If you're in the DFW Metroplex and ready to take the next step toward better hearing, call 469 809 4487 to book an appointment. Or visit totalhearingcare dot com because when you hear better, you live better. See you next time.