Hearing impairment affects more than just your ability to hear — it affects your quality of life. Audiology & Hearing Health stresses the importance of an accurate and timely hearing exam. The hearing evaluation is just the beginning of your treatment, and it’s essential to setting your unique care plan in motion and taking action on hearing loss. Your in-depth hearing evaluation will help us craft a treatment plan that renews your ability to hear, allowing you to truly hear your best and live life on your terms.
Step One: The Interview
The interview process helps our practice determine the extent of your hearing impairment and aids us in uncovering any specific areas requiring further attention. Some typical questions you’ll want to prepare for are:
- Has anyone else in your family had hearing problems?
- Have you had any illnesses or injuries that might have affected your hearing?
- Have you taken any medications that might have contributed to hearing impairment?
- Have you been exposed to loud noises in your workplace or while participating in leisure activities?
Step Two: The Examination
Our hearing care providers take a close look inside your ear and figure out whether the hearing difficulty you are experiencing could be caused by an obstruction or damage to the ear canal or eardrum. We use a special instrument called an otoscope or video otoscope to inspect your outer ear.
Step Three: Hearing Tests
Next we’ll need to figure out the nature of your hearing loss. There’s a chance we will include hearing tests such as the following:
- A hearing screening to measure your hearing at four frequencies at 25 decibels each
- A speech assessment to measure how well you hear and understand ordinary conversation at different volumes
- A middle-ear evaluation to measure how your eardrum and hearing react to varying degrees of air pressure
If you are suffering from a hearing impairment, your results will be documented on an audiogram. An audiogram is created after you take a pure-tone hearing test, to map out the type, degree, and configuration of your hearing loss. The audiogram shows your hearing loss by frequency, as pitch and loudness of sounds change. Frequencies are measured in hertz (Hz), and the loudness or intensity is measured in decibels (dB). We will help determine whether you have trouble hearing low or high pitches and what that means for you moving forward.
Step Four: Treatment Options
Medical Treatment
If your exam results indicate that your hearing loss is medically treatable, you will be referred to an appropriate specialist.
Hearing Aids
Most hearing losses that are not medically treatable respond very well to sound being selectively amplified by today’s hearing aid technology. We will work with you to match your lifestyle needs with the most advanced technology, specifically designed to treat your unique hearing loss. The exceptional effectiveness of your devices is the result of a powerful combination of professional expertise, software, and hardware.
Surgery & Implants
We now have the ability to surgically insert devices into the ear to improve hearing, facilitate lip-reading, and make it easier to distinguish certain sounds. Typically, these are most helpful if you are deaf or profoundly hearing impaired and hearing aids are not a useful treatment for you. Surgical implants include:
- Cochlear implants
- Middle-ear implants
- Bone-anchored hearing aids
- Auditory brainstem implants
Tests Used to Evaluate Hearing Loss
Video Otoscopy and Visual Ear Inspection
An otoscope is used to visually examine your ear canal and eardrum for cerumen (earwax) buildup, blockages, or signs of irritation or infection. This inspection helps identify potential issues that could interfere with hearing or affect the accuracy of diagnostic tests. If wax is present and may impact results, we might remove it to ensure a clear ear canal. The evaluation is quick and painless.
Tympanometry and Middle-Ear Tests
Tympanometry evaluates middle-ear function by measuring your eardrum’s response to changes in air pressure. It helps detect fluid behind the eardrum or perforations — conditions that may contribute to conductive hearing loss. Evaluation of your middle ear may also include tests such as acoustic reflex and Eustachian tube function assessments. These tests are quick, painless, and important tools for learning more about your hearing health and determining proper intervention.
Pure-Tone Audiometry and Hearing-Threshold Tests
Pure-tone audiometry determines the softest sounds you can hear across a range of frequencies. Tones are played through headphones, and you indicate each time you hear a tone. The results show the degree and pattern of hearing loss and help indicate whether the potential loss is sensorineural, conductive, or a mixture of both. This information helps guide personalized treatment planning, such as hearing-technology recommendations or medical referral.
Bone-Conduction Test
The bone-conduction test delivers sound directly to your inner ear by vibrating the bones of the skull, bypassing the outer and middle ear. We use it alongside air-conduction testing to help differentiate between sensorineural and conductive hearing loss. Comparing results from the two tests pinpoints where the potential hearing loss originates. This helps ensure an accurate diagnosis and a customized treatment plan for improved hearing health.
Speech Audiometry
Speech audiometry measures how well you can hear and understand spoken words. It includes the speech reception threshold (SRT) — the softest level at which you can recognize spoken words — and the speech discrimination score (SDS), which evaluates clarity at comfortable volumes. The results give us further insight into how hearing loss affects your everyday communication and help guide individualized treatment planning, including hearing aids or other key solutions.
Speech-in-Noise Testing
Speech-in-noise testing assesses how well you understand spoken words in the presence of background sounds, simulating real-world settings like busy offices or crowded restaurants. It helps uncover difficulties that may not be noticeable in quiet environments. Results give our expert audiologists valuable insight to determine whether hearing aids or other personalized solutions can improve your communication in noisy situations, supporting treatment that fits your specific needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is hearing tested in newborns?
Before your child leaves the hospital, they’re given an otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test. When sleeping, an earphone and microphone are placed in the ear, sounds are played, and their response is measured. If the newborn does not have a hearing impairment, an echo is reflected back into the ear canal being measured by the microphone. When a baby does have a hearing loss, no echo can be measured on the OAE test. This test is generally administered twice. Please see our section about child hearing loss for more information on hearing impairment and preventive measures for all ages.
How long does a hearing test take?
The whole process from the initial consultation, exam, hearing test and review of results is typically concluded in about an hour.
How often should I get my hearing tested?
Hearing tests should be performed based on your symptoms. Most insurances will cover one hearing exam per year if there are symptoms present. If you work in a very noisy environment, hearing should be tested yearly at your workplace. If you are experiencing signs or symptoms of hearing loss, please make an appointment to see our audiologist.
