HEARING TEST
What is the Purpose of a Hearing Test?
Hearing tests evaluate your capacity to discern various frequencies at differing volumes. They can also assess aspects such as the pressure behind the ear to identify if there is fluid behind the eardrum. Once completed, you’ll receive an audiogram, a document detailing your test findings. If the results indicate the need for hearing aids, the audiogram assists in customizing your hearing aid to your unique hearing loss, much like getting a prescription for glasses.
Indications That You Need a Hearing Test
Consider getting a hearing test if you are:
- Struggling to catch conversations
- Frequently requesting family and friends to say things again
- Unable to hear lines in films or at the theater
- Watching TV at such high volumes that it bothers others
- Always having your phone volume at maximum
What Happens During a Hearing Test?
Your auditory health plays a crucial role in your overall wellness. Given that hearing impairment often correlates with other health conditions, we’ll start by discussing any recent changes to your health. We’ll also inquire about instances where you’ve had difficulty hearing. Your responses will give us insights into the type of hearing loss you may be experiencing and the optimal approach to manage it. Furthermore, we’ll examine your ears to ensure there is no blockage due to earwax and to check for any signs of infection. Depending on the findings from this preliminary hearing assessment, we might decide to conduct more comprehensive hearing tests.
Types of Hearing Tests
- Audiometric Hearing Evaluation: Are you able to hear sounds, yet struggle to understand what people are saying? This hearing evaluation assesses your ability to distinguish different tones and your comprehension of spoken words. We’ll pronounce commonly misheard words and ask you to repeat them. The outcome of this test represents your hearing impairment as a percentage and provides a good indication of whether hearing aids would benefit you.
- Tympanometry Hearing Assessment: This test subtly alters the pressure in your ear to examine the functionality of your middle ear. If your eardrum can move freely and bone conduction appears normal, it suggests that your hearing loss is not due to factors such as infection, congestion, or blockage.
- Otoacoustic Emission Tests (OAEs): While tympanometry inspects the middle ear, OAEs evaluate the performance of the inner ear. You’ll be exposed to a range of sounds, and the test will measure how your inner ear reacts to these sounds.