What to Expect During Your First Hearing Exam

Have you noticed a change to your hearing recently? It’s possible that you might be suffering from some form of hearing loss. It’s important to get this checked out immediately by visiting an audiologist. While hearing loss can be due to old age, it can also be a symptom of a far more serious issue that must be addressed. For instance, hearing loss can be neurological. A hearing test will determine the cause and the type of hearing loss that you are suffering from.

Why do you need a hearing test?

You will typically need a hearing test to determine whether you are suffering from hearing loss at all. Hearing loss occurs so gradually that most people won’t notice it until it becomes quite severe. As such, it’s useful to get a hearing test early on in life that can be used as a baseline. After that, follow up hearing tests can be used to determine whether there have any significant changes to your hearing and then address them.

With a hearing test, you won’t just be able to determine whether you having hearing loss but the level of severity of your condition. It could be mild, moderate or severe. It could also be conductive, sensorineural or mixed. This will determine what type of treatment will be right for you.

Getting a history

The first step will be to rule out any physical or medical conditions that could be causing your hearing loss. As such, you will need to build up a medical history for your hearing health. You will be provided a questionnaire to fill in and provide any information you think is relevant as well as any concerns that you may have. Be aware hearing loss can be caused by medical conditions that are genetic or may even be linked to simple medical issues, such as a buildup of earwax or the common cold. An audiologist will work to rule out these possible causes as quickly as possible as well as less likely causes such as damage due to an injury.

You will also be asked about how often you expose your ears to loud noises. This will determine whether your hearing loss can be attributed to lifestyle choices. An audiologist will likely quiz you on your personal life and explore any issue that could be relevant to the symptoms you are describing.

Getting tested

The next step is the test itself. When people hear the term hearing test, they often imagine something that is highly intrusive. But nothing could be further from the truth. Hearing tests are highly noninvasive and you simply need to sit down in a quiet booth with headphones on. Once you are sitting comfortably, the audiologist will communicate with you directly. They will play sounds at different pitches and volumes in your ear. You will need to press a buzzer when you hear a sound in question. Sounds are typically very soft so it’s important to press the button even if you only just hear it.

You will likely also be tested on how well you can hear spoken words. You will be asked to listen to the words spoken softly and repeat what you hear. This is often used to determine the comfort level for your hearing.

Tympanometry tests may also be used to look at acoustic reflexes in your ear and make sure that your eardrum is functioning effectively. This will can be achieved by placing a soft plug in your ear that creates changes in pressure and generates sound. Again, this isn’t an uncomfortable or unpleasant experience but it can feel a little peculiar for some individuals.

Understanding the results

An audiologist will likely show you the results of your hearing test as displayed on an audiogram. This will show the pitches that you can and cannot hear. Hearing loss will be measured in decibels rather than percentages as some people often believe. This is due to the fact that percentages would be different for each pitch. Although for legal purposes, hearing loss can be converted into a percentage. You will also see results for both your left and right ear. These might be notably different meaning that one ear is stronger than the other.

Treatment

Finally, your audiologist will recommend treatment depending on your level of hearing loss. The common treatment will be hearing aids but there are other options as well. Are you worried you have hearing loss? Call (781) 218-2225 to arrange a hearing test with Audiology and Hearing Solutions.