Many people have a primary care physician, many people have heard of ear, nose, and throat doctors (ENT’s), and of course, many people have heard of audiologists. So…if you’re having problems with your ears or hearing, how do you know which one to see? Dr. Arica Rock, Au.D. shares an overview to help you understand the difference. Watch more Q&As, then schedule your appointment with BNA at our Bloomington-Normal or Pontiac, IL offices.
Anthony in Normal asks, “How do I know if I should see a physician or an ENT before I see an Audiologist?” There are certain red flags which would indicate that you should see a medical doctor, whether it’s your primary care physician or an ear, nose, and throat physician. Things such as ear pain, drainage from the ears, or a sudden change in hearing. Those would all be signs that you should be medically evaluated. But if you’re just noticing changes in your hearing and don’t have any of those red flags, then you can certainly just come in and see an audiologist, and have your hearing tested. We will always refer you to a medical doctor if anything in our exam indicates we should do that. Our website is a good resource if you need more information. There’s also the Consumer Ear Disease Risk Assessment, where it will ask you specific questions and then it gives you a rating. Higher than a certain number will indicate that you should see a physician first. Otherwise, it’s safe to just see an audiologist for a hearing test. So yes, there are reasons why you would see a physician or ENT first, before seeing an audiologist. But the good news is, there are a lot of resources online to help you decide. I’m Dr. Arica Rock from Bloomington-Normal Audiology, and we’re ‘hear’ for you.