Basic Hearing Testing
A basic hearing test is performed in a quiet area (preferably a Sound Booth) with an audiometer, a device that produces various pitch sounds (frequencies) at different levels (intensities). The person responds to the sounds by either raising his/her hand or pushing a button.
Results are then charted on an audiogram, which gives the audiologist an indication of whether hearing is within normal limits or if a problem may exist.
What to Expect Step-by-Step
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Initial Interview
We want to get to know you and understand what difficulties you are experiencing. We’ll ask questions that will help us determine what might have affected your hearing and what could possibly affect your hearing in the future. We’ll also want to explore what your listening needs are and how your physical and emotional well-being might be impacted.
Typical questions include:
- What type of difficulties are you experiencing?
- Do you experience tinnitus?
- Have you experienced sudden changes in hearing?
- Do you have a history of exposure to loud sounds, ear surgery, inherited hearing problems, or ear infections?
- What are your priority situations for hearing better?
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Inspection of the Ears
After the interview, we’ll perform an otoscopic inspection of the outer-ear ear canal and tympanic membrane (eardrum). We’ll determine if an obstruction exists and any abnormality that needs to be addressed by a physician. Most wax obstructions or foreign objects in the ear canal can be managed right in our clinic.
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Hearing Evaluation
Once we know the ear canals are not obstructed, we’ll proceed on with the audiological evaluation. We’ll start with tests of the eardrum and middle-ear system called a tympanogram and acoustic reflexes. This lets us know if the conductive part of your hearing is normal. We’ll then go into a soundbooth, place earphones in the ears and determine hearing sensitivity for pure-tones and speech and determine discomfort levels for loud sounds. Next, we’ll perform speech tests to determine how well you can understand in quiet and in noise.
