What To Expect At A Hearing Evaluation

A hearing test is an essential part of you’re health, especially if you suspect you’re suffering from hearing loss. Though the thought of the process may bring you anxiety, especially if you’ve never gotten one, and you don’t know what to expect, however, the process is painless, consisting of five simple parts.

Here’s what to expect at a hearing evaluation, first, be prepared to answer lots of questions. The questions may appear rudimentary but are an essential part of evaluating your hearing. A typical question asked could be, ” What ear do you use when listening on the phone?” But that question helps the audiologist decipher your dominant ear.

Further questions may probe your medical history such as family history, how frequently you intake loud noise, and questions regarding your medications. Try to answer the questions as honestly as possible to help your provider gain a clear understanding of how your hearing works.

Next, you’ll have an Otoscopy test which means your provider will check your ears and eardrum looking inside of them to check for blockages scaring, infections, excessive earwax, or anything else that could hinder your hearing. Next, you’ll get a Typhonography test that exams the flexibility of your eardrum, a probe will be placed in your ears, creating a tight feeling around the canal with the probe.

A graph will then measure the pressure changes, a single peak in pressure means that your eardrum is in good condition, an eardrum with no peaks means that it is possibly infected. The next step in the evaluation will consist of a two-part speech test that will take place in a sound booth where you will wear headphones and repeat words that you hear.

The evaluator will test the softest level of your hearing then in the second part you will be asked to repeat words that you hear with headphones on, the volume will be at normal levels. Finally, an air conduction test will examine your hearing in two parts, wherein one part you will listen with headphones to a series of beeps at different levels and raise either your left or right hand when you hear the noise.

The second portion will include a headband attached to your head with a plastic piece that will examine the sound directly into your eardrum. The evaluation will conclude your current hearing state and determine the next steps for treatment if applicable.