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If you’re here looking for information on your upcoming hearing test, congratulations are in order! Hearing tests are an important part of your overall health. If you’ve noticed changes in your hearing lately, taking a hearing test is a crucial part in reconnecting you to the world around you.
At the Hearing Spa, we offer diagnostic hearing evaluations. Diagnostic hearing evaluations are covered by most health insurance policies and will give you a clear picture of your current hearing abilities and needs. Here’s what you’ll experience during your hearing evaluation at Hearing Spa.
Consultation with the Audiologist
Before we even get into the tests, we’ll have a short conversation about your lifestyle and hearing needs. During this conversation, we may touch on different areas of your hearing, such as times and locations where you experience the most difficulty hearing; what your job requires in terms of hearing; and any personal or family medical history that could be related to hearing.
Certain medications could affect your hearing, as well as exposure to loud noise (whether on the job or recreationally). Some hearing conditions may be genetic, so it would be helpful to know if your parents or other family members have had this experience. Before you come, we will ask you to fill out a complete medical history.
This conversation is also useful in case we find a hearing loss. In putting together a treatment plan, we will work with you and take into account the elements of your lifestyle.
Hearing Evaluation
There are several different tests in the diagnostic hearing evaluation: air conduction, bone conduction, speech recognition, distortion product otoacoustic emissions, auditory brainstem response, and tympanometry. We’ll take you through the purpose of each test and what you can expect.
Air Conduction and Bone Conduction
The air conduction test, also known as a pure tone test, is the most basic hearing test and will reveal very quickly if a hearing loss is present. During this test, you will be asked to wear headphones in a soundproof room. Your audiologist will play sounds, or “tones,” at various pitches or frequencies. You will be asked to raise your hand or indicate if you hear a sound. The tones will be played one ear at a time.
The bone conduction test is often given in conjunction with the air conduction test. A vibrating probe is placed against the mastoid bone behind your ear and will test how sounds transmitted through the bone are heard. This will help determine if hearing loss occurs in your outer, middle, or inner ear.
Speech Recognition
Speech recognition is one of the greatest challenges for people with hearing loss. During this test, your audiologist will read a series of words or phrases at different volumes and from varying distances from you. You will be asked to repeat what you hear. The results of this test are recorded as a percentage.
Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission
Otoacoustic emissions are a natural part of normal hearing. When you hear normally, otoacoustic emissions are given off by the inner ear. These emissions can be measured by a small probe inserted in the ear canal. People with hearing loss greater than 25-30 decibels generally do not produce these otoacoustic emissions. This test helps to detect if there is blockage in the ear, damage to hair cells, or if fluid is present in the middle ear.
Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR)
Did you know that hearing happens in the brain? ABR tests whether the sounds that make their way through your ear are being received by your brain as sound. In this painless test, you are asked to sit still, while nodes are attached to various areas of your head. Your audiologist will play tones and record your brain’s response to the sounds. This could identify if a sensorineural hearing loss is present.
Tympanometry
This test relates to the health of your eardrum. Sound passes through the middle ear and through the eardrum. Your middle ear will experience various levels of air pressure to test the mobility and movement of your eardrum.
Reviewing Your Results
After this battery of tests, your audiologist will review your results with you. The results of your hearing tests are recorded in an audiogram, a visual representation of your hearing abilities by ear. If a hearing loss is found, we will discuss with you the degree and configuration of it. With this information, your audiologist will discuss treatment options – most commonly, the prescription of hearing aids – and work with you to find a solution that fits into your life.
For more information on hearing tests, contact us at our in Bradenton or Sarasota today.
