Your primary care doctor may have referred you for a audiologic evaluation if they think your hearing health needs a closer look. These are often the next step for patients who don’t pass an initial hearing screening. Regardless of why you need a audiologic evaluation, the hearing instrument specialists at King Hearing Center can help. We offer comfortable, convenient testing to get you the information you need faster. Keep reading to learn how we can help.
Tests We Use
The specific tests that we use during your evaluation will depend on factors like your age, symptoms, and medical history. Our goal will be to establish whether you have hearing loss, and, if so, the type and severity of the problem. At a minimum, expect to complete pure-tone, bone conduction, and speech testing, which we define below.
Pure-Tone Testing
Pure-tone testing is a fundamental component of hearing assessments, providing valuable insights into an individual’s hearing abilities across different frequencies. During the test, the individual wears headphones and listens for faint tones played at varying pitches and volumes. By responding to the tones, your hearing instrument specialist can determine the softest sounds the individual can hear at each frequency, helping to diagnose the type and degree of hearing loss accurately.
Bone Conduction
Bone conduction testing is another important method used to evaluate hearing. This testing transmits sound directly to the inner ear through vibrations on the skull bone. This test is particularly useful in determining the integrity of the inner ear and can help differentiate between conductive and sensorineural hearing losses. During the test, a bone oscillator is placed on the mastoid bone behind the ear, and the individual listens for faint tones delivered through the bone conduction pathway. This allows your specialist to assess the individual’s hearing sensitivity via bone conduction and identify any abnormalities or hearing disorders.
Speech Testing
Speech testing is a way for us to confirm the results that we received in your pure-tone test. It looks at the lowest level of sound that you can identify clear words or speech. If the results are in line with your previous tests, this may be the final exam we run during your appointment.
Additional Tests
Depending on your results, we may also want to run a few additional tests to get a better sense of your hearing health. This can include an otoscopy, which is a physical examination of the ear. We may also recommend tympanometry to determine the health of your ear canal and middle ear.
What to Expect During a Hearing Evaluation
You should expect the testing process to take between 30-60 minutes to complete. Afterward, you’ll discuss the results with your hearing instrument specialist, who will recommend a follow-up plan of action, if one is necessary.
This is a good opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about your hearing health. You may even want to bring a family member or close friend with you to the appointment to make sure you remember to ask your questions and don’t forget any answers.