What happens in a hearing test.
A hearing test is how an audiologist finds out whether you have a hearing loss, what type it is, and how much. There is nothing to prepare. It is not invasive. It does not hurt.
CC“So the test says I have hearing loss.”
Five tests, nothing to fear.
A hearing test needs no preparation, is not invasive, and does not hurt. Here is what each assessment looks at, in plain words.
The pure tone test
This is the most common test when hearing loss is first suspected. You sit in a sound-treated room and wear headphones. An audiometer plays tones at different pitches and volumes. You respond each time you hear one.
Your answers go on an audiogram. That is a chart of which sounds you heard and which you did not. It shows your hearing levels clearly. The results are usually ready straight away.
Tests your audiologist may add
Bone conduction
Measures how well sound travels through the bones of the inner ear. That helps show whether a hearing loss is conductive, sensorineural, or a mix of both.
Speech test
Checks how well you hear and understand spoken words at different volumes. This is the one that says most about real conversations.
Auditory brainstem response
Follows sound signals along the auditory nerve to the brainstem. Used when more detailed diagnostic information is needed.
Otoacoustic emissions
Checks the inner ear by measuring sound produced by the hair cells in the cochlea. Commonly used to assess cochlear health.
Tympanometry
Looks at how the eardrum moves against air pressure. It can reveal fluid in the middle ear, a perforation, or Eustachian tube trouble.
After the test
Your audiologist goes through the results with you. They will say whether more testing would help, and set out your options. If your hearing loss is significant enough to benefit from amplification, that usually means hearing aids. If the loss is more severe, a cochlear implant may be an option. Whoever you are working with should point you to the option that fits your hearing and your life.
Real people, a message away.
A diagnosis is a lot to take in. People here have sat in that same chair, and they are glad to talk about what came next. A real person answers every message.