Emergency Hearing Care Guide | UCSF EARS
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Emergency Guide

When to Seek Emergency Hearing Care

Understand when hearing symptoms are life-threatening emergencies, urgent problems, or issues that can wait for a routine appointment.

AI Draft Learn more
5 min read Updated October 2025

Life-Threatening Emergency: Call 911 or Go to the ER

Some hearing symptoms can be signs of a serious medical emergency, especially when they appear suddenly or come with other neurologic symptoms. In the United States, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away if you notice:

  • Sudden complete hearing loss in one or both ears
  • Severe ear pain with high fever
  • Facial paralysis or weakness together with hearing changes
  • Hearing loss after a head injury or major trauma
  • Bleeding from the ear after an injury
  • Sudden hearing loss with severe dizziness or loss of balance

When in doubt, treat it as an emergency. It is safer to be checked and told everything is okay than to wait and risk permanent damage.

Call 911 (U.S.)

Three Levels of Care

Not every change in hearing needs an emergency room visit. This guide walks through three basic levels of care so you can match your symptoms to the right type of help:

  • Emergency care – right now, call 911 or go to the ER.
  • Urgent care – contact a doctor or urgent care clinic within 24–48 hours.
  • Routine care – schedule a regular appointment with an audiologist or ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor.

Emergency Care: Go to the ER Immediately

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away if you experience any of the following:

  • Sudden complete hearing loss in one or both ears
  • Severe ear pain accompanied by high fever
  • Facial paralysis or weakness with hearing loss
  • Hearing loss following head injury or trauma
  • Bleeding from the ear after injury
  • Sudden hearing loss with severe dizziness or loss of balance

These symptoms can be related to serious infections, nerve problems, strokes, or skull injuries. Fast treatment can sometimes protect your hearing and prevent other complications.

Urgent Care: Seek Attention Within 24–48 Hours

Contact your primary care provider, ENT, or an urgent care clinic within one to two days if you notice:

  • Sudden partial hearing loss or muffled hearing in one or both ears
  • Severe ear pain without fever
  • Loud ringing in the ears after noise exposure that does not improve
  • Hearing loss with mild dizziness or unsteadiness
  • Fluid or discharge from the ear with discomfort
  • Ear fullness or pressure that persists for several days

These situations are usually not life-threatening, but you should still be seen quickly. In some cases, medicines work best when they are started within a few days of the first symptoms.

Routine Care: Schedule an Appointment

Make a regular appointment with an audiologist or ENT clinic when you are experiencing:

  • Gradual hearing loss developing over weeks, months, or years
  • Difficulty hearing conversations in noisy environments
  • Mild, persistent ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
  • Concerns about hearing aid adjustment or performance
  • Routine hearing screenings or follow-up hearing tests
  • Questions about hearing protection or noise exposure at work or home

These issues are very important, but they usually do not need emergency or urgent care. A scheduled visit lets your care team take a detailed history, perform testing, and talk with you about long-term options like hearing aids, cochlear implants, or other treatments.

Not Sure Which Level Fits?

It is normal to feel unsure about whether your symptoms are urgent. Two simple rules can help:

  • Rule 1: Sudden change is more serious than gradual change. A rapid shift in hearing over hours or a day is more concerning than a slow change over months.
  • Rule 2: Extra symptoms raise the urgency. Add-ons like severe pain, fever, dizziness, weakness, or bleeding push you toward urgent or emergency care.

If you are still unsure, it is always reasonable to call your doctor’s office, an advice nurse, or your health system’s nurse triage line and describe your symptoms. They can help direct you to the safest option.

Who to Contact

If you are worried about your hearing and are not sure what to do next, these resources can help you decide on your next step.

  • 911 Emergency (U.S.): For life-threatening symptoms like sudden complete hearing loss, facial weakness, severe dizziness, or bleeding after injury. Call 911.
  • UCSF Audiology Clinic: For expert hearing testing, device options, and follow-up care after urgent or emergency visits. Visit the UCSF Audiology Clinic website.
  • UCSF EARS Care Navigator: For help sorting through symptoms and learning which kind of visit to schedule. Use the Care Navigator tool.

The Bottom Line

Sudden, dramatic changes in hearing—especially with pain, bleeding, fever, facial weakness, or severe dizziness—are medical emergencies. Do not wait to see if things get better on their own. Call 911 or go to the emergency room so a medical team can evaluate you quickly.

Less severe but rapid changes, new discharge, or persistent ear pain deserve urgent attention within 24–48 hours. Gradual changes in hearing, long-standing ringing, and questions about hearing technology are usually best handled through routine audiology or ENT visits.

When you are unsure, err on the side of getting help. You are not “overreacting” by taking sudden hearing symptoms seriously—fast action can protect both your health and your hearing.

Next Steps: Still Unsure About Your Symptoms?

If your situation is not an emergency but you are worried about a change in your hearing, use these tools to plan your next move and get connected with the right level of care.

Use the Care Navigator Tool Read the Getting Care Guide

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