How Does an Audiologist Conduct a Hearing Test?

If you are dealing with your hearing issues, you will likely be headed to the audiologist for a hearing test. The hearing tests you will go through with your audiologist will determine the level of hearing loss you are experiencing and the hearing loss you are affected by. This information will help your audiologist to determine what treatment you need going forward and ensure that you have the best care possible along the way.

It's smart for anyone to have regular hearing tests, just like you would have regular eye tests to ensure that you can see correctly. Any issues that affect your hearing can be monitored and improved and over time you can ensure that any further problems are picked up quickly.

What happens during a hearing test?

You will work closely with an audiologist to ensure that your hearing concerns are looked at seriously. If you are experiencing hearing loss symptoms, or you feel that there are some differences in your hearing function, you can discuss this with your audiologist, and they will work with you to come to the right solution for it.

Your audiologist will look inside your ears before any of the hearing tests are carried out. They can see whether the hearing issues that you are experiencing are because of blockages due to wax. They can also see whether any other foreign bodies are the cause of the muffled sound you are experiencing, and once they are happy that there is nothing in the way, they will start the test correctly. These hearing tests will assess how well you can hear, and most of the time, you will be asked to wear headphones during a test. A sound is then played, and you are to press a button or indicate whenever there is a noise you can hear.

The hearing test will measure the two functions of your hearing. The first is the pitch that you can hear, and the second is the volume. Volume is measured in decibels, and pitch is measured in hertz, and these are then plotted on a graph to see the extent of hearing loss – if any at all. The sounds played through the headphones will be played at different pitches and volumes so that your audiologist can assess whether you have any hearing loss at all. This will be based on the sounds that you did or did not hear through the headphones. Sometimes, a hearing test shows that you can hear at high volume but low pitch and vice versa.

Another piece of the test happens when your audiologist does a speech test. This is different from the random sound test, as it tests your hearing ability in a crowded room. You'll hear a recording of a crowd of people talking, and you are going to be asked to press a button or indicate when you can hear a conversation. You may even be asked to repeat a particular sentence or piece of the conversation back to the audiologist. This can help your audiologist learn whether your hearing loss affects how you hear other people around you. Speech can vary, which can be too difficult to hear when you are in a busy environment.

Understanding the results

The results of your hearing tests are all plotted on an audiogram. Your audiologist will go through the results with you and tell you where your hearing issues are. You'll learn exactly what level of hearing loss you are dealing with and give you an idea of what type of hearing aids – if any – you may need to continue to hear. They'll tell you about the different hearing aid styles and let you know which one they recommend for you. From here, you can discuss which ones you may be interested in and get booked in for an appointment to have them fitted. Some of the most common hearing aid types include:

• Behind-the-ear hearing aids
• In-the-ear hearing aids
• In-the-canal hearing aids
• Completely-in-canal hearing aids
• Invisible-in-canal hearing aids

Working with our audiologist, you will be recommended the best type of device for your needs. It would help if you worked out with your audiologist which hearing aid will suit your lifestyle and your budget.

Your hearing test shouldn't take more than an hour to complete, so you need to start today by booking an audiologist appointment. To learn more about the hearing tests we conduct at Siouxland Hearing Healthcare, P.L.C., give us a call today at (712) 266-3662.