Diagnosing hearing loss by yourself is basically impossible. For instance, you can’t actually put your ear up to a speaker and subjectively evaluate what you hear. So getting a hearing test will be vital in understanding what’s happening with your hearing.
Now, before you start sweating or fidgeting anxiously, it’s significant to mention that most hearing tests are very easy and require nothing more difficult than wearing a pair of fancy headphones.
But we get it, no one likes tests. Whether you’re a high school student or middle-aged medical patient, tests are really just no fun. You will be more relaxed and more prepared if you take a little time to get to know these tests. There’s virtually no test easier to take than a hearing test!
How is a hearing test done?
Talking about scheduling an appointment to have a hearing test is something that is not that unusual. And the phrase “hearing test” is something we’ve probably discussed occasionally. You might even be thinking, well, what are the 2 types of hearing tests?
Well, that’s not exactly accurate. Because you might undergo a few different types of hearing tests, as it turns out. Each one is designed to assess something different or provide you with a specific result. The hearing tests you’re most likely to encounter include the following:
- Pure-tone audiometry: This is the hearing test you’re likely most familiar with. You put on some headphones and you listen for a tone. You just put up your right hand if you hear a tone in your right ear, and if you hear a tone in your left ear you put up your left hand. With this, we can determine which wavelengths and volumes of sound you can hear. 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 an issue for you even though you can hear tones just fine. Speech is typically a more complex audio range so it can be more difficult to hear with clarity. During a speech audiometry test, you’ll be brought into a quiet room and will, once again, be instructed to put on some headphones. 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 occur in settings where other sounds are present. The only real difference between this test and the Speech audiometry test is that it is carried out in a noisy setting. This can help you determine how well your hearing is functioning 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. How effectively sound vibrations travel through the ear is measured by this test. 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 perfectly there could be some kind of obstruction hindering the sounds).
- Tympanometry: The overall health of your eardrum sometimes requires testing. Tympanometry is a test that is used for this purpose. During this test, a little device will gently push air into your ear and measure exactly how much your eardrum moves. 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: During this test, a tiny device delivers sound to your ear and observes 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 functioning.
- Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR): The ability of your inner ear and brain to respond to sound is measured by an ABR test. This is achieved by putting a couple of tactically placed electrodes on the outside of your skull. This test is entirely painless so don’t worry. It’s one of the reasons why ABR testing is used on everyone from grandparents to newborns!
- Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Testing: This diagnostic is made to determine how well your cochlea and inner ear are working. 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 reveal it.
What do the results of hearing tests reveal?
Chances are, you usually won’t take every single one of these hearing tests. Generally, your particular symptoms will determine which of these tests will be relevant.
When we do a hearing test, what are we looking for? Well, in some cases the tests you take will uncover the root cause of your hearing loss. In other circumstances, the test you take might simply eliminate other possible causes. Whatever hearing loss symptoms you’re dealing with will ultimately be determined.
Here are some things that your hearing test can reveal:
- Whether you’re dealing with symptoms related to hearing loss or hearing loss itself.
- Whether your hearing loss is in a particular frequency range.
- Which treatment strategy will be best for your hearing loss: We will be more effectively able to address your hearing loss once we’ve determined the cause.
- How serious your hearing loss is (or, if you’ve taken multiple tests over the years, how your hearing loss might have advanced).
Is there any difference between a hearing screening and a hearing test? The difference between a quiz and a test is an apt comparison. A screening is really superficial. A test is made to supply usable information.
It’s best to get a hearing test as soon as possible
That’s why it’s essential to schedule a hearing test when you first detect symptoms. Don’t worry, this test isn’t going to be super stressful, and you won’t have to study. And the tests aren’t painful or invasive. If you’re wondering, what should I not do before a hearing test, don’t worry, we will provide you with all of that information.
Which means hearing tests are quite easy, all you need to do is schedule them.
