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UCSF Audiology · Emergency & urgent care guide
Hearing changed?
Know when to act.
Hearing changes, tinnitus, or severe dizziness? Know when to call 911, get checked today, or plan a visit.
Educational guidance, not a diagnosis.
Start here · Choose your level of care
What do I do now?
Start with the most urgent symptoms.
Call 911 now.
Hearing changes, tinnitus, or dizziness with any of these danger signs may be a medical emergency. Do not wait for an audiology or ENT appointment.
In the U.S., call 911. If you suspect a stroke, do not drive yourself to the hospital. Outside the U.S., call your local emergency number.
Danger signs
- New facial weakness or numbness.
- New weakness or numbness on one side of the body.
- Trouble speaking, understanding speech, or new confusion.
- A new, sudden severe headache, especially with neurologic symptoms.
- Fainting, a seizure, or difficulty staying awake.
- Sudden severe vertigo or dizziness with an inability to walk safely.
- Major head injury or concerning symptoms after trauma, especially blood or clear fluid from the ear.
Get medical care today.
A sudden hearing change needs prompt medical attention, even without pain or other danger signs. Do not wait to see whether it clears on its own.
Call your doctor, ENT, or an urgent care service now to arrange an evaluation today.
Learn about care options →Contact a clinician promptly. If you cannot arrange same-day medical evaluation, an urgent care center or emergency department may be appropriate. Do not delay care to use an online tool.
Symptoms needing evaluation today
- Sudden hearing loss in one or both ears that develops over hours or a few days.
- A sudden muffled ear, with or without new tinnitus or a feeling of fullness.
- Severe vertigo or dizziness with a new hearing change, even without obvious neurologic symptoms.
- A hearing change following a very loud sound or blast.
Some sudden hearing losses require time-sensitive treatment. If a change started more than 72 hours ago, medical evaluation is still important. The 72-hour mark is not a reason to stop seeking care.
Get checked soon.
Arrange a clinician visit within days when symptoms are new or changing, but you have no emergency warning signs or sudden hearing loss.
- New pulsatile tinnitus: a whoosh or thump matching your heartbeat.
- New one-sided tinnitus, or one ear clearly worse than the other.
- Persistent or worsening dizziness or imbalance without the danger signs above.
Pulsatile tinnitus is often not dangerous, but sometimes needs evaluation for an underlying condition.
Schedule a regular appointment.
For stable concerns without urgent warning signs, a routine appointment is a good place to start.
- Gradual hearing difficulty over weeks, months, or years.
- Long-standing tinnitus without a sudden change.
- Difficulty understanding speech, especially in noise.
- Routine hearing-device adjustments or nonurgent questions.
Important: Sudden hearing loss is urgent even if it feels like congestion, earwax, or a plugged ear. Seek evaluation today. If your hearing changed days ago, it is still worth getting prompt medical advice.
Practical guidance
What to do while arranging care.
Have this information ready
- When the symptoms began, including the date and approximate time.
- Which ear is affected and whether symptoms are new or changing.
- Other symptoms such as ringing, fullness, nausea, headache, or dizziness.
- A list of medications and any recent injury or loud-noise exposure.
While waiting: Avoid placing cotton swabs or unprescribed drops into the ear.
What to say when you call
It helps to describe how quickly the symptoms started. You can use this wording:
“I have [a sudden hearing drop / new heartbeat-like tinnitus / severe vertigo] that started [date and time]. I also have [other symptoms]. Do I need to be evaluated today?”
Emotional crisis support: In the U.S., call or text 988 for mental health crisis support. For immediate physical danger or a possible medical emergency, call 911.
After urgent symptoms are evaluated
Know your next step.
Once emergencies have been addressed, these EARS tools can help you understand your options and prepare for care. They are not substitutes for urgent evaluation.
Care Navigator
Find out whether primary care, audiology, or an ENT specialist may be the best next step.
Open Care Navigator Understanding resultsHearing Test Results Decoder
Already had a hearing test? Learn what your audiogram may mean in everyday language.
Explain your results Ongoing symptomsTinnitus Triage
For stable or longer-term symptoms, explore support and care pathways.
Explore tinnitus supportWatch or read
A one-minute guide.
This short overview explains how to recognize urgent symptoms and choose the right level of care. The written guidance above is the primary reference when deciding what to do today.
Timing clarification: The video uses earlier “within 72 hours” wording. If your hearing changes suddenly, seek care today, not at the end of a 72-hour period, and get advice even if it started more than three days ago.
Prefer to read? Video key points and full transcript
- Step 1 — Emergency help (911) and crisis support (988): Seek emergency room care now for hearing or dizziness symptoms paired with facial weakness/numbness, one-sided weakness, trouble speaking, severe vertigo where you cannot walk, or major head injury; call or text 988 for mental health crisis support.
- Step 2 — Same-Day Evaluation (Within the 72-Hour Window): A sudden drop in hearing over hours to 3 days is a medical urgency—do not assume it is earwax or congestion. Seek same-day urgent evaluation (and within 72 hours at most) so treatment (such as corticosteroids) can start promptly.
- Choose the Right Door & Prepare Safely: Get prompt clinic evaluation (within days) for new pulsatile (heartbeat) or one-sided tinnitus; while arranging care, note when symptoms began and keep cotton swabs or unprescribed drops out of the ear.
Video Transcript (0:00–1:00):
- 0:00–0:08: "When a hearing change, ringing, or dizziness starts suddenly, knowing which door to choose protects both your health and your hearing."
- 0:08–0:17: "Step one: check for danger signs. Call 911 or go to the emergency room immediately for facial droop, arm or leg weakness, slurred speech, severe vertigo where you cannot walk, or major head injury—and call or text 988 if you are in emotional crisis."
- 0:17–0:26: "Step two: if you have a sudden drop in hearing over hours to three days, seek same-day urgent evaluation—and within 72 hours at most. Do not assume it is just wax or congestion; early evaluation and treatment within 72 hours give you the best chance of recovery."
- 0:26–0:36: "Match your symptoms to four levels of care: the emergency room for neurologic danger signs, same-day urgent evaluation (within 72 hours at most) for sudden hearing loss, a prompt clinic visit within days for heartbeat or one-sided tinnitus, and routine care for gradual changes."
- 0:36–0:46: "While arranging care, write down when symptoms started, keep cotton swabs and unprescribed drops out of your ear, and bring your medication list."
- 0:46–0:54: "Once emergencies are ruled out, use our Care Navigator, Tinnitus Triage Tool, and Test Results Decoder to plan your next step."
- 0:54–1:00: "Review the complete danger-sign checklist and care levels above on this page."
Information sources
Learn more from trusted medical guidance.
- AAO-HNSF: Clinical Practice Guideline: Sudden Hearing Loss (Update).
- NIDCD: Sudden Deafness (Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss).
- CDC: Signs and Symptoms of Stroke.
This guide summarizes common warning signs for education. It does not replace individualized medical triage or diagnosis.
Information for more people
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