Hearing loss is challenging, if not impossible, to diagnose by yourself. As an example, you can’t really evaluate your level of hearing by simply putting your ear next to a speaker. That means that if you want to know what’s going on with your hearing, you have to take a test.
But there’s no need to be concerned or stress out because a hearing test is about as straightforward as putting on a high-tech pair of headphones.
But we get it, no one likes tests. Tests are generally no fun for anybody of any age. You will be more relaxed and more ready if you take a little 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 scheduling an appointment to get a hearing assessment is something that isn’t 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 not completely accurate. Because as it happens, there are a number of different hearing tests you might 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 likely most familiar with. You listen for a tone on a pair of headphones. Hear a tone in your right ear? Raise your right hand. Hear the tone in your left ear? Same thing! With this, we can figure out which wavelengths and volumes of sound you’re able to 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 despite the fact that you can hear tones just fine. That’s because speech is generally more complex! During a speech audiometry test, you’ll be led into a quiet room and will, 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: Obviously, conversations in the real world happen in settings where other sounds are present. A speech and noise-in-words test will go through the same process as speech audiometry, but the test occurs in a noisy room rather than a quiet one. This can help you determine how well your hearing is functioning in real-world scenarios.
- Bone conduction testing: How well your inner ear is functioning will be determined by this test. 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 travel through your inner ear. If this test determines that sound is traveling through your ear effectively it may suggest that you have a blockage.
- Tympanometry: The overall health of your eardrum sometimes requires testing. Tympanometry is a test that is used 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 there’s a hole in your eardrum, fluid behind your eardrum membrane, and more.
- Acoustic Reflex Measures: A tiny device measures the muscle feedback of your inner ear after sending sound to it. It all happens by reflex, which means that your muscle movements can tell us a lot about how well your middle ear is functioning.
- Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR): An ABR test tries to measure how well the brain and inner ear are responding to sound. This is accomplished by putting a couple of tactically placed electrodes on the outside of your skull. Don’t worry, though! This test is totally painless. It’s one of the reasons why ABR testing is used on everyone from grandparents to newborns!
- Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Testing: This diagnostic is designed to determine how well your cochlea and inner ear are working. It does this by tracking the sound waves that echo back from your inner ear into your middle ear. This can detect whether your cochlea is working or, in some situations, if your ear is blocked.
What do the results of hearing tests reveal?
It’s likely, you usually won’t undergo every single one of these hearing tests. Generally, your specific symptoms will determine which of these tests will be suitable.
What are we looking for in a hearing test? Well, in some cases the tests you take will uncover the underlying cause of your hearing loss. In other situations, the test you take may just eliminate other possible causes. Whatever hearing loss symptoms you’re dealing with will ultimately be determined.
Here are a few things that your hearing test can uncover:
- Which treatment approach will be best for your hearing loss: We will be more effectively able to treat your hearing loss once we’ve determined the cause.
- Whether you are suffering from hearing loss or experiencing the symptoms associated with hearing loss.
- How much your hearing loss has progressed and how significant it is.
- Which wavelengths of sound you have the hardest time hearing (some people have a hard time hearing high wavelengths; others have a difficult time hearing low sounds).
Is there any difference between a hearing screening and a hearing test? The difference between a quiz and a test is an apt example. A screening is rather superficial. A test is made to provide usable information.
The sooner you get tested, the better
That’s why it’s essential to schedule a hearing test when you first notice symptoms. Take it easy, you won’t need to study, and the test isn’t stressful. And the tests aren’t painful or intrusive. 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 pretty easy, all you need to do is schedule them.