For patients in South Africa

Steroid injection for hearing loss in Turkey from South Africa: a plain guide

A middle ear steroid injection places corticosteroid medicine through the eardrum so that it can reach the inner ear. This page explains who it may suit, what the procedure involves and how long to stay in İzmir. It also says plainly when not to travel: sudden hearing loss is an emergency and must be treated in South Africa immediately.

Sudden hearing loss: treat it at home first

Sudden hearing loss is a medical emergency. If you lose hearing in one or both ears over hours or a few days, see a doctor or go to an emergency unit in South Africa straight away. Do not wait to arrange a trip abroad. A doctor in South Africa can examine you and start treatment. Waiting while you organise flights, a visa and a trip abroad can cost time that matters.

Travel to İzmir only makes sense for planned, non-urgent care: for example, a specialist-agreed plan for Ménière’s disease, or further treatment that your own doctor agrees can wait. Bring your hearing tests and the notes of any treatment you have already had.

What the procedure involves

The injection is a minimally invasive procedure. Under local anaesthetic, a small amount of steroid medicine is injected through the eardrum into the middle ear, from where it passes into the inner ear. There it helps reduce inflammation, and it may improve hearing or ease symptoms such as dizziness and tinnitus. More than one injection may be recommended, depending on your condition and how you respond.

For other ear treatments, including hearing aids, see the ear treatments guide and the wider ENT surgery guide.

Who it may suit

• People with sudden sensorineural hearing loss, as part of a plan agreed with a specialist
• People with Ménière’s disease
• People with autoimmune inner ear disorders
• Especially those for whom oral steroids have not worked or are not suitable

An ENT specialist decides after reviewing your hearing tests and history. The injection does not help every type of hearing loss.

How long to stay, and the flight home

Most patients are ready to fly home within one to three days of an injection, and normal daily activities can usually resume within 24 to 48 hours. Hearing, if it improves, may do so over the following days or weeks. If a course of several injections is advised, ask before you book how many, how far apart, and whether the schedule fits one trip. The specialist confirms when you can fly.

• Flights: direct flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Istanbul take around ten hours, followed by a short domestic flight to İzmir
• Visa: South Africans apply for an e-Visa online before travelling; see the e-Visa guide
• Records: take home a summary of each injection and your hearing test results for your doctor
• Time difference: İzmir is one hour ahead of South Africa, which makes follow-up calls easy
• Cover: South African medical schemes generally do not cover elective treatment abroad, so check with your scheme before you book; standard travel insurance usually excludes planned treatment abroad

Follow-up at home

Arrange an ENT specialist or audiologist in South Africa to repeat your hearing test and check the eardrum after you return. Our team stays in touch by message and video call. Medical complications arising from the treatment are covered for one year by our treatment guarantee. See also the clinic facts page, the complaints page and our steroid injection page.

Risks

Risks include temporary ear discomfort, dizziness, a brief metallic taste, mild bleeding where the needle passes and a temporary worsening of hearing. Less often, infection, a hole in the eardrum that does not close or a need for further treatment can occur. The specialist explains your own risks before treatment.

What we will not do

We will not encourage anyone with sudden hearing loss to delay urgent care at home in order to travel, we will not give an injection without a specialist assessment, and we will not promise that hearing will return.

Frequently asked questions

I have just lost hearing suddenly. Should I come to Turkey?

No. Sudden hearing loss is an emergency. See a doctor or go to an emergency unit in South Africa immediately; travel is only for planned, non-urgent care.

Is the injection painful?

It is given under local anaesthetic. Temporary ear discomfort, dizziness or a brief metallic taste can follow, and these usually settle.

How many injections will I need?

It depends on your condition and how you respond; more than one may be recommended. Ask for the full schedule before you book flights.

How soon can I fly home after a steroid injection?

Most patients are ready to fly within one to three days, and normal activities usually resume within 24 to 48 hours. The specialist confirms when you can fly.

What decides the cost of a steroid injection for hearing loss?

The number of injections, any hearing tests or assessments needed, the number of nights in Turkey and what the package includes. A firm figure follows assessment.

Start with a free online consultation. Planning the trip? Read the guide for South African patients and the e-Visa guide.