Balance Testing & Hearing Evaluation in Atlanta, GA


Millions of people have balance disorders related to their hearing. Patients sometimes describe this as a feeling of dizziness.

Many Symptoms Accompany Balance Disorders

When someone suffers from a balance disorder, they commonly feel one or more of the following symptoms:

  • unsteadiness
  • wooziness
  • giddiness
  • A feeling of movement, floating, or spinning
  • vertigo
  • lightheadedness
  • visual blurring
  • disorientation

These symptoms are not comfortable to experience, but our ENT physicians at Northeast Atlanta Ear, Nose, & Throat can help.

What Does It Mean to Have a Balance Disorder?

The ear consists of different parts. The labyrinth, an organ in the inner ear, contributes to your balance (vestibular) system. This particular organ communicates with other bodily systems (eyes and skeletal) to keep your body’s position and balance.

In addition to the symptoms listed above, people with a balance disorder might also experience the following:

  • vomiting
  • nausea
  • faintness
  • fear
  • anxiety
  • panic
  • changes or increases in blood pressure
  • changes or increases in heart rate
  • fatigue
  • decreased concentration
  • depression

A person might experience one or more of these symptoms for a short or extended period. If you experience these balance symptoms, please call any of our ENT offices to schedule an appointment for testing.

Balance Testing from Our ENT Doctors

If we determine the need for balance testing, our ENT physicians may order an ENG (electronystagmography) to evaluate your inner ear function. The ENG will help us further assess dizziness or vertigo.

What Happens During an ENG Test?

We will place sticker electrodes around your eyes and record your eye movements in a series of conditions. You will be either seated or lying down on a table during different parts of the test.

You may experience dizziness or a sensation of movement during the testing. The dizziness usually subsides after the testing is complete. Still, we recommend that you have someone drive you to and from the appointment.

The testing will take approximately 1-1½ hours. A list of pretest instructions will be given to you at the time of scheduling to help you prepare for the evaluation. With your permission, escorts are permitted to view the test.

Reasons for Balance Testing & Treatment

There are various treatments for balance disorders, and individual treatment will vary depending on the patient’s symptoms, medical history, and underlying causes. We may recommend balance retraining exercises, treatment for the underlying cause, or dietary changes.

There are several reasons why you would need balance testing. With a balance test, our ENT physicians and audiologists can:

  • identify causes of vertigo
  • identify causes of tinnitus
  • evaluate the vestibular system
  • identify causes of dizziness

In addition to balance testing, we might also conduct a hearing test to evaluate the middle and inner ear.

Once your testing is complete, one of our physicians or audiologists will review the test results with your symptoms. We will recommend certain types of treatment based on this information

If you experience symptoms related to a balance disorder, get evaluated and treated as soon as possible before symptoms get worse.

Please call any one of our offices in Johns Creek (Suwanee) (770-237-3000), Lawrenceville, GA (770-237-3000), or Dacula (Hamilton Mill), GA (770-237-3000) to schedule your appointment.