When it comes to hearing loss, many times the individual experiencing it is the last to know. Symptoms like turning up the television volume more or asking others to repeat themselves can be chalked up to the nature of the noisy world we live in. This is why having your hearing tested regularly is crucial in maintaining your auditory health.
The team at Advanced Hearing Center conducts a variety of hearing tests to identify the causes of our patients’ hearing health concerns. Our audiologist will use these to determine if you have hearing loss and what’s causing it. We can use this information to make the ideal care recommendation for your needs.
What Tests Will You Receive?
The specific tests that you receive will depend on your background. Our audiologist will consider symptoms, age and medical history, and noise exposure risks. Once we have an idea of what you are experiencing, we may recommend a handful of different tests, including:
- Pure-tone testing: Pure-tone testing analyzes the quietest tones that you can hear across different frequencies.
- Bone conduction: Bone conduction testing is similar to pure tone, but we use a different type of headset that gives the audiologist more information. For example, bone conduction testing lets your care team know whether your hearing loss is conductive or sensorineural, which can impact your care plan moving forward.
- Speech testing: Speech testing is often used to confirm the results of your pure-tone test. It tells us the lowest level of sound that you can clearly translate into words or speech. This test will often give us the last pieces of information we need to make a care recommendation.
- Other tests: Your audiologist may perform other tests as well, but these are less common. Examples include otoscopy, which is a physical examination of the inner and outer ears, as well as tympanometry, which tests the middle ear. These tests may only be necessary if we discover something we need more information about during your initial audiological evaluation.
What to Expect During a Diagnostic Hearing Evaluation
Audiological evaluations take about 30 minutes to one hour to complete, depending on how many tests are needed and which ones. You’ll have time after the appointment to discuss your care recommendation and ask questions to your audiologist.
We typically recommend bringing a family member with you to your appointment. They can help you understand the information your audiologist provides and give you support as you make important decisions regarding any hearing loss treatment.
Before your appointment begins, we’ll ask about your medical history and any particular problems you may have been experiencing with hearing health before the appointment. This will be your chance to tell us anything you believe may be relevant to your hearing health situation.
Audiometry for Children
Our team also offers audiometry for children. We can perform specialized tests that are more comfortable for infants and young children. Our team can also work with you to come up with a personalized plan for your child that leads them toward academic and social success.