Hearing Test
Hearing loss can happen to anyone at any age and there are many types and causes of hearing loss but the most common continues to be the result of the natural aging process. If you notice difficulty in hearing during normal conversation, in social situations, watching television or when on the phone, it is extremely important to have your ears checked by your health care professional. A simple ear exam will rule out any medical conditions such as excessive earwax, fluid build-up or an infection. These conditions can generally be easily remedied with hearing returning to normal in a short period of time. In the event that there are no other medical conditions present, your physician will likely recommend that you have your hearing professionally tested so that you can be fitted for hearing aids. Your local hearing clinic will be able to perform all the tests needed to determine what type of hearing loss you have and to what degree. They will also be able to advise you what type of hearing aid is best suited to your particular needs and lifestyle.
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An audiometric test which measures the ability of sound to reach your brain, thus determining one’s ability to hear, will be performed by a hearing specialist. All sounds that we hear begin as vibrations which produce sound waves that vibrate at a certain frequency (speed) and a certain amplitude (height). The height of the sound will determine its volume (how loud it is) and the vibration speed will determine how high or low it is (pitch). These sound waves are turned into nerve impulses when they travel through the ear and then on to the brain which then can “hear” and interpret them. A hearing test will help in determining what type of hearing loss one has by measuring the ability to hear these sounds.
Most hearing tests involve having the client respond to a series of words or tones which will be of varying degrees in pitch and loudness. You will be asked to push a button or raise your hand each time you hear a tone, no matter how faint it is. This test is then repeated a number of times with successively higher pitched tones. Speech and word recognition test are also performed to determine how well a person understands normal conversation. Another test that can also be performed is called the auditory brain stem response (ABR) which is designed to check for sensorineural hearing loss. In this procedure, electrodes are placed on the scalp and each earlobe. A series of clicking noises are sent through earphones worn by the client with the electrodes monitoring and recording your brain’s response to them.
It is important to note that there are no risks related to having a hearing test and they are of course pain free. Knowing this may encourage those who are experiencing any loss of hearing to make an appointment with a hearing specialist at the first signs of hearing loss. Those that have been tested and fitted with appropriate hearing aids overwhelmingly report a vast improvement in their quality of life as well as in their personal and professional relationships.
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