Özlem Balcı, Audiologist

Özlem Balcı is an audiologist at Acibadem Bakirkoy Hospital in İstanbul, where she works within the Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) unit. Her clinical work concentrates on audiometry, hearing loss, and pediatric hearing loss. She has more than 15 years of experience in the field and speaks Turkish and English.

Her training began at Trakya University Vocational School of Health Services, where she studied between 2011 and 2013. She continued at Anadolu University Faculty of Open Education in 2013, followed by studies at İstanbul Gelişim University Faculty of Health Sciences in 2020 and at İstanbul Gelişim University in 2023. Her professional experience includes positions at Bakırköy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital and at Medipol Mega University Hospital, both in 2013. In 2015 she joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services, where she has continued her work in audiology.

Clinical focus

Özlem Balcı supports the assessment of hearing-related concerns in adults and children. A central part of her work is audiometry, the measurement of hearing thresholds and the way sound is perceived at different frequencies and volumes. These measurements help the ENT team understand the type and degree of a person’s hearing difficulty and form part of the broader evaluation of hearing loss. Audiometric findings are interpreted alongside the patient’s history, symptoms and any earlier test results, and they contribute to the discussion of possible next steps with the treating ENT physician.

A further area of her work is pediatric hearing loss. Hearing assessment in children requires methods adapted to the child’s age and ability to cooperate, and results are usually considered together with the family’s observations and the findings of the ENT examination. Where a child or adult has a significant degree of hearing loss, the assessment may be one element of a wider evaluation carried out by the ENT team; general information about one such option is available on the Cochlear Implant page. Decisions about any treatment are made by the treating physicians on the basis of the individual case.

How Özlem Balcı works with international patients

Özlem Balcı consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients who speak other languages. Before a visit, the Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, such as earlier hearing test results, MRI or CT reports, laboratory and pathology results, operative notes and discharge summaries, and it arranges appointments and organizes the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing test results and previous treatments, a clinical hearing assessment and a discussion of the options. Video consultation is available for international patients who wish to discuss their hearing concerns or review existing results before deciding whether to travel.