What to expect when having a hearing test:

A hearing test is a fairly quick, painless, non-invasive test that should be performed by an Audiologist.  Each test should begin with a thorough case history. Why are you having your hearing tested? Do you have any ringing or roaring in your ears? Those and several other questions will be asked to help your audiologist understand your hearing health history as well as determine which tests should be performed. A thorough case history will also help the audiologist in decided what to do after the test - what type of treatments are or referrals are necessary?

Following your case history, the audiologist will physicall examine your ears with a special light called an otoscope. They will look at the appearance of your outer ear, look at your ear canal and also inpect your eardrum. During this examination, the audiologist is looking for signs of disease that may relate to your symptoms. We also look for excessive earwax, called cerumen, that we may need to remove prior to testing.

Next, you will move into a sound-treated test booth for your actual hearing evaluation (if you're not already there).  Here, you will wear headphones. You will be listening to a series of tones or whistles at several different pitches. You will be asked to respond if you hear them by raising your hand or pushing a button, etc. You will also be asked to repeat various words at different levels to determine how clearly you understand speech.  Your responses are called thresholds and are recorded on a graph called an audiogram.

Other tests may be performed such as tympanometry may be done to asses the function of your middle ear and eardrum.

When all the testing is complete, your audiologist will discuss the results with you. He/she may provide you with further recommendations if necessary. This includes the need for hearing aids.  You also may be referred for further evaluation if necessary.

If you suspect you have any amount of hearing loss, or are experiencing moments where speech seems to be unclear, it is imperitive to have your hearing tested as soon as possible. The "Us it or Lose it" principle definitely applies to hearing: the sooner you treat hearing loss, the better the outcome of the treatment.