- Johar Town, Lahore
- Mon - Sun 24/7
Dr. Sajid Iqbal
ENT Specialist · Lahore
Ear pain, discharge, or a blocked ear needs a proper diagnosis, not guesswork. Dr. Sajid Iqbal, a consultant ENT specialist in Johar Town, provides ear infection treatment in Lahore. He examines the ear canal and eardrum, identifies the infection type, and prescribes treatment matched to that diagnosis for children and adults.
Symptoms depend on which part of the ear is affected. The most common are:
Discharge means the ear needs attention. Clear, watery fluid with itching usually points to an irritated or infected ear canal. Thick, yellow or foul-smelling discharge can come from an infected canal or from a middle ear infection that has perforated the eardrum. Bloody discharge, or discharge lasting more than a few days or returning, needs examination.
Swelling, discharge or fluid behind the eardrum can temporarily muffle hearing, and it usually improves as the infection clears. If hearing stays reduced or worsens, a hearing assessment can find the cause.
Most ear infections are not emergencies, but some signs suggest the infection is spreading or that something else is going on. Go to the nearest hospital emergency department, rather than waiting for a clinic appointment, if you or your child have:
Ear pain that is not settling, or discharge that keeps returning? Get your ear examined by an ENT specialist. Book an Appointment
An ear infection can affect the outer, middle or inner ear, and each behaves differently. Symptoms and treatment depend on which part is involved, which is why looking directly at the canal and eardrum is the most reliable way to tell.
Otitis externa, or swimmer’s ear, is an infection of the ear canal that is usually caused by bacteria. Trapped water, sweat, cotton buds, or earbuds can break the skin inside your ear and let germs in. You may feel itching, redness, fluid discharge, and pain when you touch or pull your outer ear, while swelling can muffle your hearing.
Otitis media is an infection located right behind your eardrum, often starting when a cold blocks the Eustachian tube and traps fluid. While we see this most often in young children, it also affects adults. You may experience deep ear pain, a fever, and muffled hearing. If your eardrum bursts open, the pain often eases up quickly and pus may drain out.
Inner ear infections happen far less often. Labyrinthitis usually follows a viral cold or flu, causing rooms to spin around you, upset stomach, ringing sounds, or hearing loss. If you lose hearing in one ear without warning, treat it as an emergency and seek medical help right away. For balance problems, you can visit our guide on dizziness.
Ear infections usually begin when germs get a chance to grow in an ear that is moist, irritated or blocked. Common triggers include:
Diagnosis combines your history with a direct look inside the ear. Further tests are added only when symptoms or findings call for them, so not every patient needs every test.
Dr. Sajid Iqbal checks when your ear pain started, whether you have had a cold or water exposure, and notes any discharge or hearing changes. Because symptoms alone cannot clearly tell an outer ear infection from a middle ear infection, a detailed background check is essential.
We look closely at your ear canal and eardrum under a high-power microscope. At the same time, we can gently clean out trapped wax, fluid, or debris so we get a crystal-clear look at the eardrum and pinpoint exactly where the infection is sitting.
These quick tests show us how healthy your eardrum is and how well your middle ear works. They are particularly useful if your hearing sounds muffled, if fluid is trapped behind the drum, or if ear infections keep returning, helping us pick the most effective treatment.
If your ear infection lingers or does not improve with initial care, we take a gentle swab of the fluid to send for lab testing. This lab test finds the exact bacteria or fungus causing the trouble so we can give you targeted ear drops and medicines that actually work.
We order a detailed CT scan of the bone surrounding your ear whenever long-lasting ear disease or a cholesteatoma skin cyst is suspected. This scan gives us a clear look inside the bone to see how far the problem has spread and helps us plan the safest treatment path forward.
Treatment depends on which part of the ear is infected, how severe it is, whether the eardrum is intact, and the patient’s age and health. This information is general; your plan is decided after examination.
Children get ear infections often because they catch more colds and their Eustachian tubes drain poorly. Babies may pull at the ear, cry, run a fever, feed or sleep badly, or not react to sounds. Most mild infections settle without antibiotics, which doctors consider for severe, non-improving or discharging infections, or both ears in a child under two. Babies under 12 months should always be seen, and doses should never be guessed, as they depend on weight. Repeated infections can affect hearing, so a hearing test is sensible; treating enlarged adenoids or placing grommets may help selected children. Dr. Sajid Iqbal treats children and adults.
Make an appointment with an ENT specialist if:
A general physician can be a reasonable first step for a mild, short-lived earache. If symptoms are not settling, or the same problem keeps returning, an ear specialist in Lahore adds a magnified examination of the canal and eardrum, hearing assessment, and treatment of recurrent or chronic ear disease. Dr. Sajid Iqbal is a consultant ENT specialist in Lahore, and you can book directly without a referral.
Earwax protects the ear and usually clears by itself. Professional ear cleaning in Lahore is needed only when wax blocks hearing or debris stops ear drops working, and it is done under direct vision. Never use cotton buds, hairpins, oils, ear candles or water flushing at home. Keep the ear dry during infection, and treat colds and allergies early.
Dr. Sajid Iqbal (MBBS, MS-ENT) is a consultant ENT specialist with more than 20 years of ENT practice, treating ear conditions in children and adults. You can read more in his profile and qualifications.
What to expect at your visit
Ready to get it sorted? Book a consultation with Dr. Sajid Iqbal at Horizon Hospital, Johar Town, Lahore — call 0321 4496160 or WhatsApp.
Dr. Sajid Iqbal, a consultant ENT specialist, treats ear infections in children and adults at Horizon Hospital, Johar Town, Lahore. You can call or WhatsApp 0321 4496160 or book online. No referral is needed.
Ear pain, itching, a blocked feeling, discharge, muffled hearing and sometimes fever. Young children may pull at the ear, cry more, sleep and feed poorly, or not respond to some sounds.
Yes, but it is usually temporary. Swelling, discharge or fluid behind the eardrum can muffle hearing until the infection clears. Repeated or long-standing infections, a persistent eardrum perforation or chronic middle ear disease can cause lasting hearing damage. Sudden hearing loss in one ear is urgent and needs prompt assessment.
By examining the ear canal and eardrum, in this clinic with a microscope for a magnified view. A hearing test, tympanometry, a discharge swab or a temporal bone CT scan may be added if symptoms are persistent, recurrent or unusual.
No. Many mild ear infections improve without them, and ear canal infections are usually treated with medicated drops after cleaning. Oral antibiotics are used when the infection is severe, not improving, or the patient is at higher risk. Treatment is decided after examination.
See an ENT specialist if ear pain has not improved after about three days, if the ear is discharging, hearing has dropped, or infections keep recurring. Swelling behind the ear, facial weakness, severe headache or sudden hearing loss need urgent hospital care.
Yes. Young children are prone to them because they catch more colds and their Eustachian tubes drain less easily. Enlarged adenoids, allergy and fluid behind the eardrum can add to the problem. A child with repeated infections should have their ears and hearing checked, and the cause treated.
Same-week appointments at Horizon Hospital, Johar Town, Lahore.
Timings: Mon – Sun 24/7
Consultation Fee: PKR 4000
Dr. Sajid Iqbal, MBBS, MS-ENT, is a consultant ENT surgeon with 20+ years of experience treating patients in Lahore. Read his profile →
Clinic in Johar Town, Lahore, Mon – Sun 24/7