18 Apr, 2023
It’s routine for people to schedule medical checkups, like an annual physical, vision test or dental exam. But regular hearing tests are much less commonplace. Despite the integral role hearing plays in our daily lives, we just don’t tend to pay it as much mind. Your hearing is far from static, which is why we urge everyone—both young and old, known hearing loss or not—to get a hearing test and ensure you’re properly caring for all your senses. What happens during a hearing test? Hearing evaluations may be in-depth, but they are nothing to be nervous about. We won’t be poking and prodding you. Professional Audiology goes beyond the basic tests to better ensure our clients receive the thorough care they deserve. Here’s an in-depth overview of what happens during a hearing test. Hearing Screening A quick pass/fail test of your ability to hear different tones in each ear. It will indicate if you have hearing loss but will not go into any detail about the type or levels of degradation. If you fail a hearing screening, you should definitely get a full hearing test. Hearing Test Sometimes referred to as a hearing evaluation, these tests go in-depth into analyzing and diagnosing your hearing ability, your understanding of speech and assessing your outer, middle and inner ears. Components of a full hearing evaluation Your hearing is a two-part process, involving the physical action of hearing as well as the processing of the sound information once received by your brain. It’s crucially important to test based on both these factors to ensure you receive the proper care. There are a number of different tests that will be performed during your hearing evaluation. These include: Air conduction Otoscopy Bone conduction Tympanometry Word recognition Loudness discomfort levels None of these tests are invasive, and when combined, they offer our clients the fullest possible picture of their current hearing, and help highlight the best path to better hearing health. When should I get my hearing tested? There are many good reasons to receive a hearing test, and far fewer reasons not to. If you or someone you know has hearing loss, regular hearing tests are crucial to tell whether your loss is changing or degrading. If you’ve been receiving treatment for hearing loss, hearing tests will be able to gauge if that treatment has been successful in providing help and hopefully stemming the tide of further damage. If you work in a loud environment or frequent loud spaces like concerts, then regular hearing tests can be very helpful in guarding against further damage. Occupational hearing loss is unfortunately very common. If you ever notice a pervasive ringing in your ears, it is definitely in your best interest to receive a hearing test. Tinnitus is often associated with hearing loss, and while it can’t be treated the same way, a hearing test can certainly help you better understand your condition. If you’ve never received a hearing test before, it can be very helpful for future visits to have a baseline to compare to, so in the future it will be easier to determine if any loss has occurred. If for any reason, you or a loved one is questioning whether they may be suffering from hearing loss, then a comprehensive hearing evaluation can either quell those concerns or help lead you to the next step in determining how to tackle and prevent any further hearing loss.