What is a Hearing Test?
A hearing test, also called an audiological assessment or evaluation is a
clinical procedure to measure the ability of the ears to hear sounds. During the test,
individuals listen to a range of tones or spoken words through headphones and
respond when they hear the sounds or verbally repeat words they hear.
Hearing test is a painless, non-invasive procedure that is
performed usually inside a sound-proof booth or room. Depending on the purpose,
the audiologist or hearing professional may either do a quick screening or a complete,
detailed evaluation.
A comprehensive hearing test consists of a detailed procedure
to give you an overall picture of the ear condition, check potential problems inside the ear,
get hearing thresholds that explain a person's auditory abilities and provide recommendations
for treatment and follow-up care.
Hearing screening, on the other hand, is a quick procedure to measure hearing thresholds
at different frequencies and is primarily done to rule out hearing loss.
Why You Should Get a Hearing Test
A hearing test is a comprehensive examination of a person's hearing condition,
ear functioning, and identifying and managing risk factors associated with hearing difficulty.
Most people assume that these tests are only required for elderly people who have
lost their hearing, but this is not entirely true. Even if you're quite young,
there are still benefits to getting your hearing tested. Hearing problems, if begun,
continues to worsen if left untreated. The biggest barrier to getting timely care for
individuals with gradual, age-related hearing loss is that they don't
realize they have it. It takes at least 6-8 years on average before a person gets their
first hearing test upon noticing a hearing decline.
It is very hard to detect hearing loss
because we always hear 100 percent of what the ears hear.
That, however, is a smaller percentage of the sound that actually exists around us.
One of the reasons to get a hearing test is to monitor how your
hearing is affected by various factors, such as age, noise exposure, chronic
medication effects and health conditions. Another reason is that hearing testing is
typically not done as part of routine health health checks in family medicine practice,
irrespective of patient's age and potential risk factors such as occupational noise exposure,
major illnesses, surgery or even natural age-related hearing decline.
It is always important to stay updated on the condition of your ears and hearing and
the easiest way is to get a hearing test from your hearing healthcare provider. You
do not need a referral from your family doctor to get a hearing test - the best time
to get one is when you want it.
Components of a Comprehensive Hearing Test
Otoscopy - Ear Examination
Video otoscopy is a valuable tool for visualizing and diagnosing conditions
affecting the ear. It consists of a quick and painless exploratory procedure
to examine the ear canal and eardrum.
A tiny camera attached to a thin, flexible tube is gently inserted into the ear,
allowing a close-up visual inspection of the ear's structures.
This procedure helps healthcare professionals identify issues such as earwax buildup,
infections, or abnormalities in a more detailed and precise manner. It also helps to assess
the condition of the ear canal skin and prescribe remedial treatment.
Estimated duration: 5-10 minutes
Tympanometry
Tympanometry or impedance testing assesses the health and mobility
of the middle ear. During the test, a small device is placed in the ear
and air pressure is varied to measure the eardrum's response.
This helps identify any issues with the middle ear, such as fluid accumulation
or problems with the ear's pressure regulation.
Tympanometry is useful in understanding the overall function of the ear and
can contribute to the diagnosis of various ear-related conditions.
If you would like to read a more detailed explanation of the test details,
procedure and outcomes, please see the
Cleveland Clinic's webpage on Tympanometry
.
Estimated duration: 10-15 minutes
Pure Tone Audiometry
Pure tone audiometry assesses an individual's ability to hear
different frequencies or tones. During the test,
sounds at different frequencies are relayed to the patient through headphones,
who responds when they hear the sounds by clicking a button or raising their hand.
The audiologist or hearing professional records the lowest volume level at which
patient hears a sound at each test frequency.
The results help determine the degree and type of hearing loss, if any, and
contribute to the diagnosis and management of hearing-related issues.
Estimated duration: 10-15 minutes
Speech Audiometry
Speech audiometry consists of tests that evaluates a person's ability to hear
and understand spoken words. It typically involves the presentation of words at
different volumes, and the individual is asked to repeat or respond to what they hear.
The audiologist or hearing professional plays a list of words or sentences, with or
without some kind of background noise and the responses are recorded for each test item.
Test scores are reported either as a numeric score or percentage of total test items
answered correctly.
This test helps assess the clarity of speech perception and provides valuable information
about how well a person can comprehend and communicate verbally in various
listening conditions. The results assist in understanding the functional aspects of
hearing, i.e., the person's ability to use their hearing in the communication process.
Estimated duration: 10-15 minutes
Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE)
Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) are sounds produced by the inner ear in response to
external sounds. OAE testing is commonly used, especially in newborn screenings
to check the hearing health of individuals as they cannot be administered a
standard hearing test. To test OAE, a small microphone is placed in the ear to pick up
these subtle sounds. During the test, the patient listens to various sounds and
the microphone records the inner ear's response.
OAEs can help assess the health of the inner ear, especially its outer hair cells.
If there's an issue with the ear, like hearing loss or damage to these cells,
the test can detect it by noting the absence or reduced strength of these emissions.
The test can also show if there is a blockage in your outer or middle ear -
the blockage will prevent any sounds from getting to the inner ear and as a result,
there will be no vibration or sounds that are returned.
Estimated duration: 10-15 minutes
Electrophysiological Tests
Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) Testing
Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) is a test that checks the response of the
auditory nerve and brainstem to sounds. The ABR procedure is painless
and doesn't require the person to do anything actively. During the test,
small sensors are placed on the skin near the ears and forehead.
The person hears clicking sounds through earphones and
the sensors pick up the electrical signals generated by the hearing nerve and brainstem
in response to these sounds.
ABR is useful in assessing the overall function of the auditory pathway,
helping with the diagnosis of hearing issues especially in newborns or individuals
who may have not be able to undergo standard hearing tests.
The results help the audiologist understand how well the auditory nerve and brainstem
are working, providing valuable information for diagnosing hearing-related concerns
especially with the auditory pathway such as auditory neuropathy.
Estimated duration: 30-40 minutes
Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR) Testing
The Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR) test is a method to assess hearing by
measuring the brain's response to continuous tones of different frequencies.
During the test, small electrodes are placed on the skin near the ears and forehead.
The person listens to a series of continuous tones (pure tones) with variable
amplitude and/or frequency, repeated filtered clicks or repeated band-limited
chirp signals that are played through earphones.
The electrodes pick up the electrical signals generated by the brain in
response to these tones.
The ASSR test is very helpful in providing a frequency specific estimation of
hearing sensitivity across the entire range of audiometric frequencies and levels
and is commonly used in cases where standard hearing tests may be challenging, such as with
infants or individuals who have difficulty participating in traditional assessments.
Estimated duration: 20-30 minutes
Audiological Assessment Report
Custom earplugs are beneficial in preventing sound leaks,
maintaining clear sound quality, providing comfort while wearing and
prevent slipping of devices form ears. A custom ear impression is taken
for this purpose and sent out to labs for preparing the final product.
Audiogram - Understanding your Hearing Health
We offer a range of cutom earplugs or ear defenders to help you with
protecting your ears in noisy conditions, while swimming, musician's plugs,
or for other purposes like stethoscopes, earbuds for music listening and
radio communication where generic ear tips are not adequate.
Custom earplugs are beneficial in preventing sound leaks,
maintaining clear sound quality, providing comfort while wearing and
prevent slipping of devices form ears. A custom ear impression is taken
for this purpose and sent out to labs for preparing the final product.
Estimated duration: 30 minutes
Recommendations for Treatment and/or Follow-Up
We offer a range of cutom earplugs or ear defenders to help you with
protecting your ears in noisy conditions, while swimming, musician's plugs,
or for other purposes like stethoscopes, earbuds for music listening and
radio communication where generic ear tips are not adequate.
We strive to provide you with the best clinical care and services
for your hearing needs. You can find our clinic policies and relevant administrative
and operational guidelines on our
Policies page.
© AudiPro Audiology Clinic Inc.