Self-diagnosing hearing loss is basically impossible. For instance, you can’t actually put your ear next to a speaker and subjectively calculate what you hear. That means that if you want to know what’s going on with your hearing, you need to get it tested.
Now, before you begin sweating or anxiously fidgeting, it’s important to point out that most hearing tests are rather easy and involve nothing more challenging than putting on a pair of fancy headphones.
Alright, tests aren’t everyone’s favorite thing to do. Whether you’re a student or middle-aged medical patient, tests are really just no fun. You will be more relaxed and more ready if you take some time to get to know these tests. A hearing test is about the simplest test you’ll ever have to take!
How is a hearing test performed?
Talking about scheduling an appointment to get a hearing assessment is something that is not that uncommon. And we’ve probably used the phrase “hearing test” a couple of times. You may even be thinking, well, what are the 2 types of hearing tests?
Well, that’s somewhat misleading. Because it turns out there are a number of different hearing tests you may undergo. Each of these tests will provide you with a specific result and is created to measure something different. The hearing tests you’re most likely to experience include the following:
- Pure-tone audiometry: This is the hearing test you’re probably most aware of. You listen for a sound on a set of headphones. Hear a pitch in your right ear? Raise your right hand. Hear the tone in your left ear? Same thing! With this, we can figure out which frequencies and volumes of sound you can hear. It will also measure whether you have more significant hearing loss in one ear than the other.
- Speech audiometry: Sometimes, 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 pair of headphones in a quiet room. Instead of making you focus on tones, this test will be comprised of audible speech at various volumes to identify the lowest level you’re able to hear a word and still comprehend it.
- Speech and Noise-in-Words Tests: Needless to say, conversations in the real world occur in settings where there are other sounds. The only actual difference between this test and the Speech audiometry test is that it is carried out in a noisy setting. This mimics real-world situations to help determine how your hearing is working in those settings.
- Bone conduction testing: How well your inner ear is functioning will be established by this test. A little sensor is placed next to your cochlea and another is put on your forehead. A small device then receives sounds. How efficiently sound vibrations travel through the ear is tracked by this test. This test can often detect whether there is an obstruction in your ear (ex: if you can’t hear, but your inner ear is working perfectly there could be some kind of obstruction blocking the sounds).
- Tympanometry: Sometimes, we’ll want to test the general health of your eardrum. Tympanometry is a test that is utilized for this purpose. Air will be gently blown into your ear so that we can measure how much movement your eardrum has. The results of this test can identify whether your eardrum has a hole, fluid behind your eardrum membrane, and more.
- Acoustic Reflex Measures: During this test, a tiny device delivers sound to your ear and measures the muscle response of your inner ear. The reflexive reaction of the muscle movement of your inner ear will help us identify how well it’s working.
- Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR): An ABR test tries to measure how well the brain and inner ear are responding to sound. To achieve this test, a couple of electrodes are strategically placed on your skull. This test is completely painless so don’t worry. It’s one of the reasons why ABR testing is used on everyone from grandparents to newborns!
- Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Testing: This kind 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. This can determine whether your cochlea is working or, in some cases, if your ear is blocked.
What can we learn from hearing test results?
You most likely won’t have to get all of these hearing tests. Usually, your specific symptoms will dictate which of these tests will be relevant.
When we test your hearing, what are we looking for? A hearing test can sometimes uncover the cause of your hearing loss. In other circumstances, the test you take might simply eliminate other possible causes. Whatever hearing loss symptoms you’re noticing will ultimately be determined.
Here are a few things that your hearing test can uncover:
- How severe your hearing loss is (or, if you’ve had multiple tests over the years, how your hearing loss may have advanced).
- Which wavelengths of sound you have the hardest time hearing (some people have a hard time hearing high wavelengths; other people have a difficult time hearing low sounds).
- Which treatment approach will be best for your hearing loss: We will be more successfully able to treat your hearing loss once we’ve determined the cause.
- Whether you are dealing with hearing loss or experiencing the symptoms associated with hearing loss.
What is the difference between a hearing test and a hearing screening? It’s kind of like the difference between a quiz and a test. A screening is rather superficial. A test is much more in-depth and can supply usable information.
The sooner you take this test, the better
So as soon as you detect symptoms, you need to schedule a hearing test. Don’t worry, this test won’t be very stressful, and you don’t have to study. Nor are hearing tests intrusive or generally unpleasant. If you’re wondering, what you shouldn’t do before a hearing test, don’t worry, we will provide you with all of that information.
It’s easy, just call and schedule an appointment.