Hearing loss is difficult, if not impossible, to diagnose by yourself. For instance, you can’t really put your ear up to a speaker and effectively calculate what you hear. That means that if you want to know what’s happening with your hearing, you need to get it tested.
But there’s no need to be concerned or stress out because a hearing test is about as simple as putting on a high-tech pair of headphones.
But we get it, no one likes tests. Tests in general are no fun for anyone of any age. Taking some time to get to know these tests can help you feel more prepared and, as a result, more comfortable. A hearing test is about the simplest test you’ll ever take!
What is a hearing test like?
Talking about making an appointment to get a hearing assessment is something that is not that uncommon. And we’ve likely used the phrase “hearing test” once or twice. You may even be thinking, well, what are the two types of hearing tests?
Well, that’s slightly misleading. Because you may undergo a few different types of hearing tests, as it turns out. Each of these tests will provide you with a particular result and is created to measure something different. Here are a few of the hearing tests you’re likely to encounter:
- Pure-tone audiometry: This is the hearing test you’re probably most familiar with. You listen for a tone on a set of headphones. Hear a tone in your right ear? Raise your right hand. Hear the tone in your left ear? Same thing! This will test how well you hear a variety of frequencies at a variety of volumes. It will also measure whether you have more significant hearing loss in one ear than the other.
- Speech audiometry: In some cases, hearing speech is a problem for you even though you can hear tones just fine. That’s because speech is generally more complex! This test also consists of a set of headphones in a quiet room. You will listen to speech at various volumes to determine the lowest level you can hear words and clearly understand them.
- Speech and Noise-in-Words Tests: Obviously, conversations in real-time take place 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 figure out how your hearing is working in those situations.
- 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 placed on your forehead. Sound is then sent through a small device. How efficiently sound vibrations move through the ear is measured by this test. This test can often detect 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 hindering the sounds).
- Tympanometry: Sometimes, we’ll want to check the overall 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. 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 feedback of your inner ear. The reflexive reaction of the muscle movement of your inner ear will help us discover how well it’s working.
- Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR): The ability of your inner ear and brain to react to sound is measured by an ABR test. This is accomplished by placing a couple of tactically placed electrodes on the outside of your skull. Don’t worry, though! This test is completely painless. That’s why everyone from newborns to grandparents get this test.
- Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Testing: This type of testing will help determine if your inner ear and cochlea are working effectively. This is accomplished by measuring sound that echo’s back to your middle ear from your inner ear. If your cochlea isn’t working efficiently or there’s an obstruction, this test will detect it.
What do the results of hearing tests tell us?
Chances are, you usually won’t undergo every single one of these hearing tests. Usually, your particular symptoms will determine which of these tests will be appropriate.
When we do a hearing test, what are we looking for? Well, sometimes the tests you take will uncover the underlying cause of your hearing loss. In other situations, the test you take may simply eliminate other possible causes. Ultimately, we will get to the bottom of any hearing loss symptoms you are experiencing.
Generally, your hearing test will uncover:
- Whether you are dealing with hearing loss or experiencing the symptoms associated with hearing loss.
- The best strategy for treating your hearing loss: We will be more effectively able to treat your hearing loss once we’ve established the cause.
- Whether your hearing loss is in a specific frequency range.
- How profound your hearing loss is (or, if you’ve had multiple tests over the years, how your hearing loss might have progressed).
What’s the difference between a hearing test and a hearing screening? 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 detect symptoms, you should schedule a hearing test. Take it easy, you won’t need to study, and the test isn’t stressful. Nor are hearing tests invasive or generally painful. We will give you 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.