Self-diagnosing hearing loss is basically impossible. For example, you can’t really put your ear next to a speaker and effectively measure what you hear. So getting your hearing tested will be crucial in understanding what’s going on with your hearing.
Now, before you start sweating or fidgeting anxiously, it’s significant to point out that the majority of hearing tests are rather easy and involve nothing more challenging than putting on a pair of fancy headphones.
Okay, 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. You will be more relaxed and more prepared if you take some time to get to know these tests. There’s virtually no test easier to take than a hearing test!
What is a hearing test like?
Talking about making an appointment to get a hearing test is something that isn’t that unusual. And we’ve likely used the phrase “hearing test” once or twice. You might even be thinking, well, what are the 2 types of hearing tests?
Well, that’s somewhat misleading. Because you may undergo a few different kinds of hearing tests, as it turns out. Each of these tests will provide you with a particular result and is designed to measure something different. The hearing tests you’re most likely to encounter include the following:
- Pure-tone audiometry: Most individuals are probably familiar with this hearing test. You wear some headphones and you listen for a tone. Hear a pitch in your right ear? Put up your right hand. Hear the tone in your left ear? Same thing! This will test how well you hear a variety of wavelengths at a variety of volumes. 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 despite the fact that you can hear tones just fine. Speech is typically a more complex audio range so it can be harder to hear with clarity. When you’re having a speech audiometry test, you’ll be brought into a quiet room and will, once again, be directed to put on some headphones. You will listen to speech at various volumes to determine the lowest volume you can hear words and clearly understand them.
- 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 performed in a noisy setting. This can help you determine how well your hearing is working in real-world scenarios.
- Bone conduction testing: This diagnostic is created to measure the performance of your inner ear. Two small sensors are placed, one on your forehead, and the other on your cochlea. A small device then receives sounds. This test measures how well those sound vibrations move through your inner ear. This test can usually identify whether there is an obstruction in your ear (ex: if you’re unable to hear, but your inner ear is working fine there could be some sort of obstruction blocking the sounds).
- Tympanometry: Sometimes, we’ll want to check the general health of your eardrum. This is accomplished using a test called tympanometry. Air will be gently blown into your ear so that we can 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: During this test, a tiny device supplies sound to your ear and measures the muscle feedback of your inner ear. The reflexive reaction of the muscle movement of your inner ear will help us determine how well it’s working.
- Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR): An ABR test tries to measure how well the brain and inner ear are reacting to sound. This is accomplished by placing a couple of tactically placed electrodes on the outside of your skull. This test is completely painless so don’t worry. That’s why everyone from newborns to grandparents get this test.
- Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Testing: This kind of testing will help identify if your inner ear and cochlea are working properly. This is achieved 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 detect it.
What can we learn from hearing test results?
You probably won’t need to get all of these hearing tests. We will pick one or two tests that best suit your symptoms and then go from there.
When we test your hearing, what are we looking for? Well, in some cases the tests you take will reveal the underlying cause of your hearing loss. The hearing test you get can, in other instances, simply help us rule out other causes. Essentially, we will get to the bottom of any hearing loss symptoms you are noticing.
Generally, your hearing test will uncover:
- Whether you’re experiencing symptoms related to hearing loss or hearing loss itself.
- Which treatment strategy will be best for your hearing loss: We will be more successfully able to treat your hearing loss once we’ve established the cause.
- How severe your hearing loss is (or, if you’ve had numerous tests over the years, how your hearing loss may have advanced).
- Whether your hearing loss is in a specific frequency range.
Is there any difference between a hearing screening and a hearing test? The difference between a quiz and a test is a good example. A screening is rather superficial. A test is made to provide usable data.
The sooner you get tested, the better
So as soon as you notice symptoms, you should schedule a hearing test. Relax, you won’t need to study, and the test isn’t stressful. Nor are hearing tests invasive or generally unpleasant. We will provide you with all of the information about what to do and not to do before your hearing test.
Which means hearing tests are fairly easy, all you need to do is schedule them.