Audiology

Our audiologists are allied-health specialists in hearing and balance for all ages. In Dubai, our audiology services run from newborn hearing screening to adult hearing tests, hearing aid fitting and cochlear implant support. They also stay involved over time, reviewing your hearing and adjusting your care as things change.

What is audiology?

Audiology is the allied-health field concerned with hearing and balance, from measuring hearing loss to fitting and fine-tuning hearing aids. Audiologists are not doctors; they test how well you hear, assess balance problems such as dizziness and vertigo, and manage concerns like tinnitus. They fit hearing aids and support people with cochlear implants, then keep adjusting them over time. When a hearing or balance problem needs medical diagnosis or surgery, they refer you to an ENT doctor.

When should you see an audiologist?

Book a hearing test if you notice:

• Difficulty hearing people clearly, especially in noisy places
• Often asking others to repeat themselves
• Turning up the TV or phone louder than others need
• Ringing or buzzing in your ears (tinnitus)
• Dizziness or problems with your balance
• A blocked or muffled feeling in your ears

Sudden hearing loss in one or both ears should be checked urgently, because prompt treatment gives the best chance of recovering your hearing. It's also worth having your hearing tested if you work around loud noise, or if your hearing has slowly changed with age. If you're regularly around loud noise, custom ear protection can help prevent damage before it starts. Newborns are screened for hearing in their first weeks, and a child who seems slow to respond to sound or speech can have their hearing checked at any age, so any problem is picked up early.

What to expect

At your first appointment, the audiologist asks about your hearing, your general health and the situations you find hardest. Most visits include pure tone audiometry, where you listen to tones through headphones and press a button each time you hear one. Many also include tympanometry, a quick check of how your eardrum and middle ear are working. The tests are painless, and the audiologist explains what the results mean before you leave.

If you'd benefit from a hearing aid, the audiologist fits one to your level of hearing loss and programmes it to suit how you live. You'll be shown how to use and clean it, and you'll come back so it can be checked and fine-tuned as your hearing changes. Support for tinnitus, cochlear implants and balance problems follows a similar path, with follow-up appointments to review how you're getting on.

Audiology at Mediclinic

In Dubai, our audiology teams work at Mediclinic City Hospital and Mediclinic Dubai Mall. They carry out hearing tests, fit and fine-tune digital hearing aids, and help people manage tinnitus. At Dubai Mall, we screen newborn hearing and assess children up to the age of five.

We also make custom ear protection for people who work around loud noise. If dizziness or unsteadiness is the problem, our audiologists can assess how well the balance organs in your inner ear are working. At City Hospital, we also assess and support people with cochlear implants.