Everything You Need to Know About Hearing Tests

If you suspect you have a hearing loss, don’t ignore it hoping for it to go away. Hearing loss is one of the most common chronic conditions among adults in the US, and since hearing loss is gradual and can sneak up on you, it’s important to get your hearing tested and stay aware of your hearing health! Audiologists use hearing tests to understand your hearing loss and give you personalized treatment options.

Hearing loss commonly begins with hearing impairment for tones and speech in upper frequencies, such as the voices of women and children. Does this sound familiar? Hearing loss is one of the most common chronic conditions among adults in the US, and since hearing loss is gradual and can sneak up on you, it’s important to get your hearing tested and stay aware of your hearing health!

Finding solutions that match your lifestyle is our top priority, so we want to understand your habits. Are you often in noisy environments, and do you enjoy going to public events? Are you outdoorsy or do you like to keep up with your TV programs?

To understand your medical background and symptoms, we will discuss past injuries or illnesses that could play a role in your hearing loss. We’ll ask about ringing in your ears, ear infections, or pain. We also want to know if there’s a history of hearing loss in your family, or if you are exposed to chronically loud noises.

We will ask about your overall health to understand any other factors that could affect hearing loss. These include diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and some medications, all of which have links to hearing loss.

Using an otoscope, or magnifying glass, we will look closely at your eardrum and ear canal. This is a completely painless exam to see if there is any damage to the ear drum, or any blockage from earwax or discharge.

To understand the degree of your hearing loss, we test tones and speech at all frequencies. Results are documented on an audiogram, a graph that shows what sounds you’re hearing and what sounds you’re missing. While you wear headphones, the pure tone audiometry test play tones at different frequencies. All you have to do is indicate if you’ve heard the tone. A speech evaluation test determines how well you hear normal conversation at various volumes. Finally, tests are conducted to measure the performance of the auditory nerve and test the eardrum for responsiveness to sound vibrations.

Following the hearing test, we will review the results of your hearing assessment, and discuss treatment options. Providing you with individualized care, we will recommend solutions that will work with your lifestyle.

Treatment options are varied. For many people, hearing aids are a good option. They amplify sounds, and come in many styles to suit your needs and budget. Assistive listening devices can help with quiet conversation and amplify TV, radio, and other media. For those with severe or profound hearing loss, surgery or implants may be an option.

Results & Options: You have two options when it comes to hearing loss. You can ignore it or treat it. If you don’t treat your hearing loss, you'll increase your risk of diminished physical and mental health. If you treat your hearing loss you'll improve your communication in your relationships, have a better sense of control, social, emotional and physical wellbeing. Find out the top things to know about hearing loss, causes of hearing loss, how it's treated, and your next steps. Find out how you can hear better by contacting us today!

We want to give you the best advice about your hearing health, and what kind of treatment is right for you. Why wait? Book your hearing assessment today!