Self-diagnosing hearing loss is basically impossible. For example, you can’t actually put your ear next to a speaker and subjectively measure what you hear. Which means that if you want to understand what’s happening with your hearing, you have to get it tested.
Now, before you begin sweating or fidgeting anxiously, it’s significant to point out that most hearing tests are rather easy and require nothing more taxing than wearing a pair of fancy headphones.
Alright, tests aren’t everyone’s favorite thing to do. Whether you’re a high school student or middle-aged medical patient, tests are just generally no fun. Taking a little time to get to know these tests can help you feel more prepared and, as a result, more comfortable. A hearing test is about the simplest test you’ll ever have to take!
What is a hearing test like?
Talking about scheduling an appointment to get a hearing assessment is something that is not that uncommon. And the phrase “hearing test” is something we’ve probably discussed on occasion. Maybe, you’ve heard that there are two types of hearing tests and you’re wondering what they’re all about.
Well, that’s a bit misleading. Because you may undergo a few different kinds of hearing tests, as it turns out. Each of these tests will give you a particular result and is created to measure something different. Here are a few of the hearing tests you’re likely to encounter:
- Pure-tone audiometry: Most individuals are probably familiar with this hearing test. You listen for a tone on a pair of headphones. Hear a tone in your right ear? Put up your right hand. Hear the tone in your left ear? Same thing! With this, we can determine which frequencies and volumes of sound you’re able to hear. It will also measure whether you have more significant hearing loss in one ear than the other.
- Speech audiometry: In some cases, hearing speech is a problem for you even though you can hear tones clearly. That’s because speech is typically more complex! This test also consists of a set of headphones in a quiet room. Instead of making you focus on tones, this test will consist of audible speech at various volumes to identify the lowest level you can hear a word and still comprehend it.
- Speech and Noise-in-Words Tests: Of course, real-world conversations almost never happen in a vacuum. The only actual difference between this test and the Speech audiometry test is that it is performed in a noisy setting. This can help you figure out how well your hearing is working in real-world situations.
- Bone conduction testing: How well your inner ear is working will be determined by this test. Two little sensors are placed, one on your forehead, and one on your cochlea. Sound is then sent through a small device. How effectively sound vibrations travel through the ear is measured by this test. If this test establishes that sound is moving through your ear effectively it could indicate that you have an obstruction.
- Tympanometry: On occasion, we’ll want to check the general health of your eardrum. Tympanometry is a test that is used for this purpose. Air will be gently blown into your ear in order to measure how much movement your eardrum has. If you have fluid behind your eardrum, or a hole in your eardrum, this is the test that will detect that.
- Acoustic Reflex Measures: A tiny device measures the muscle feedback of your inner ear after sending sound to it. The reflexive reaction of the muscle movement of your inner ear will help us discover how well it’s working.
- Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR): An ABR test attempts to measure how well the brain and inner ear are responding to sound. This is achieved by putting a couple of strategically placed electrodes on the outside of your skull. Don’t worry, though! This test is totally painless. It’s one of the reasons why ABR testing is used on people from grandparents to newborns!
- Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Testing: This type of testing will help identify if your inner ear and cochlea are working effectively. This is accomplished by tracking sound that echo’s back to your middle ear from your inner ear. If your cochlea isn’t working efficiently or there’s a blockage, this test will reveal it.
What can we learn from hearing test results?
You most likely won’t need to get all of these hearing tests. We will choose one or two tests that best suit your symptoms and then go from there.
When we do a hearing test, what are we looking for? Well, in some cases the tests you take will expose the root cause of your hearing loss. The hearing test you take can, in other cases, simply help us rule out other causes. Ultimately, we will get to the bottom of any hearing loss symptoms you are noticing.
Here are a few things that your hearing test can reveal:
- How much your hearing loss has progressed and how severe it is.
- Whether your hearing loss is in a specific frequency range.
- Whether you’re experiencing symptoms associated with hearing loss or hearing loss itself.
- Which treatment approach is best for your hearing loss: Once we’ve established the cause of your hearing loss, we’ll be able to more effectively offer treatment options.
What’s the difference between a hearing test and a hearing screening? It’s sort of like the difference between a quiz and a test. A screening is really superficial. A test is a lot more in-depth and can provide usable data.
It’s best to get tested as soon as you can
So as soon as you observe symptoms, you need to schedule a hearing test. Don’t worry, this test won’t be very stressful, and you don’t need to study. Nor are hearing tests intrusive or generally painful. We will provide you with all of the information about what to do and not to do before your hearing test.
It’s easy, just call and schedule an appointment.
