What to Expect at a Hearing Test

A hearing evaluation is the first step toward identifying and treating your hearing needs.

Our practice offers comprehensive hearing testing that effectively assesses your hearing health. There are different types of hearing tests we use to thoroughly evaluate and understand your hearing loss. Our experts have extensive experience and utilize the latest hearing technologies to accurately determine your hearing health needs.

Hearing tests involve a painless and noninvasive process that measures your hearing capacities in both ears. Once we identify hearing loss, we tailor treatment to meet your specific hearing needs. Understanding what this process looks like can help you feel more prepared and comfortable with having your hearing tested.

1. Intake Process:

Like most medical-related appointments, your hearing consultation appointment will start with an intake process. You’ll be asked to complete some paperwork about your health history and the symptoms you are experiencing. You can expect to have a conversation about any family history of hearing health issues, the hearing challenges you’ve been experiencing, and lifestyle factors that impact hearing health. This includes what you do for work, the types of environments you regularly move through, exposure to loud noise, hobbies, and other factors that can help identify potential causes or contributors to hearing loss.

2. Physical Examination:

Before the hearing test, your ears will be physically examined. This includes using an ear instrument known as an otoscope which shines a light, allowing us to fully examine the ear canal and eardrum. We inspect your ears and check for any factors that could obstruct sound from being fully absorbed and reaching the inner ear. This includes accumulated earwax, a tear in the eardrum, any growths, ear infections, etc. which can prevent sound waves from traveling through the ear canal to reach the inner ear. If needed, we’ll remove any earwax before getting started with the hearing test.

Audiologist giving hearing test to man in booth

3. Hearing Tests:

There are a few types of hearing tests that are used to evaluate hearing health. The most common test is known as pure tone audiometry testing. This involves wearing headphones in a sound-treated room that are connected to an audiometer - a small machine that plays sounds at different frequencies and pitches. Guided by one of our hearing healthcare specialists, you will indicate what you can hear by raising your hand or pressing a button. This will record the softest sounds you can hear at different frequencies - referred to as your hearing thresholds. Another test that we may perform is similar but rather than playing sounds, speech is played. This is known as speech audiometry testing which evaluates the speech you can hear.

4. Results:

The results from your hearing test(s) are recorded on an audiogram which is a chart that visually shows your hearing capacities in each ear. We take the time to walk you through your results which include the softest sounds and speech you can hear (for each ear which may be different) and the types of sounds and speech that are more challenging for you to hear. Your results will identify any hearing loss and the specific degree of impairment you could be experiencing - ranging from mild to profound. With this information, we can discuss specific treatment options that can best support and maximize your hearing. The most common treatment for hearing loss is hearing aids. We will share options that can be optimal for you and discuss the devices and technologies that you could benefit from.

5. Next Steps:

Depending on the type of hearing aid you choose, we may take impressions of your ears which are then used to make certain styles. After your hearing aid consultation, the follow-up is a hearing aid fitting appointment. During this appointment, you will receive your hearing aids which will be programmed with the specific settings that can best meet your hearing needs. During this appointment, you will learn everything about your hearing aid - maintenance, settings, components, etc. Our goal is to provide you with all of the training, information, and resources that allow you to maximize the use of your hearing aids.

The hearing evaluation process is a major step toward treating and transforming your hearing health. Contact us today to schedule an appointment. We look forward to helping you prioritize your hearing health and wellness!