HEARING EVALUATION

Hearing loss can have significant consequences. It has been associated with depression, attention, and memory issues, which can substantially affect relationships with friends, family, and co-workers, and may even be associated with dementia.

Despite these potential consequences, in a recent study of 120,000 participants on hearing and hearing loss, almost 30 percent said they have gone for more than a decade without having their hearing checked or have never had it checked at all.

Even if you appear to have no issue with your hearing, it’s still essential to get your hearing checked regularly. Hearing loss prevalence rises with age. This is due to variables such as prolonged exposure to long-term noise, which destroys tiny hair cells in your ear. These have the job of picking up sound signals and sending them to the brain.

If you don’t know what to expect, it could be nerve-racking to have a hearing test for the first time. However, hearing tests are painless, quick, and provide a wealth of knowledge about your hearing needs. 

What should I expect from a hearing evaluation?

Step #1: A Consultation

First of all, we’re going to ask you a series of questions about your hearing condition, your medical background, and the circumstances in which you have problems hearing.

 

Step #2: A physical examination

Your ear canals are tested for earwax before we begin any hearing tests. Wax can influence how much you hear. To see into your ear canal and the eardrum, a device called an otoscope is used to determine whether there is any wax obstructing the ear canal.

 

Step #3: A sequence of tests

For these tests, you will sit in a soundproof booth and put on a pair of headphones.

Pure tone audiometry: A device called an audiometer plays a sequence of tones. They will vary in pitch and loudness. We then lower the volume of the sounds until you can no longer hear it at all. You signal by raising your hand or pressing a button if you can hear the sound.

Tests for speech reception and word recognition: You hear a series of phrases spoken with varying degrees of loudness. We then ask you to repeat the utterances. We’re looking for a point at which the words can no longer be heard well enough to be repeated, so don’t worry if you can’t make out all the phrases.

 

Step #4: Results

One of the best things about a hearing test is that the findings are available immediately. We will review your outcomes once your tests are complete. We will be able to guide you through the strengths and weaknesses of your hearing and will be able to establish and explore care plans as well.

We will also recommend some hearing aids that might be ideal choices for your particular needs by incorporating the findings of your hearing test, including your form and degree of hearing loss, as well as your lifestyle and budget needs.

How to prepare for a hearing exam

Before you come in for a test, consider the environments where you find it hard to hear the most. Do you have trouble during a Zoom call with your colleagues, or are you finding it hard to communicate with the barista at a busy coffee shop? Perhaps you have the most problems when socializing in a large group. Whatever the scenario, it’s crucial to identify the most common environments where you struggle to hear. Also, make sure to note if you have recently been subjected to excessively loud noise.

Regular hearing check-ups are essential for tracking your hearing health and dealing with any issue that arises. As a precaution, we recommend getting a hearing test once a year. The more time hearing loss is left untreated, the longer it takes to recover your hearing. In some cases, some frequencies may be lost forever. 

Don’t let your hearing slip away from you. Contact us to set up a hearing test today.