Hearing Tests For Hearing Loss

Introduction

There are several types of simple hearing tests for audiologists to use in diagnosing hearing loss. Some of these tests may be done at home, such as pure tone testing and speech testing. Other tests may be performed during an appointment with an audiologist, such as tympanometry or acoustic reflex testing.

Pure tone testing: This test measures how well you hear the full range of sounds from very soft to very loud.

You’ll wear headphones and a machine will play tones at different pitches, like a piano or whistle. You’ll wear headphones and press a button when you hear the tone.

Pure tone testing is a simple way to test hearing. A machine will play tones at different pitches, like a piano or whistle. You’ll wear headphones and press a button when you hear the tone. You can hear the tone from very soft to very loud

You may need this test if you have:

  • Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
  • Hearing loss that started suddenly
  • Hearing loss that gets worse over time

Speech testing: You’ll be in a quiet room and listen to words read aloud. You’ll repeat the words out loud.

  • Speech testing: You’ll be in a quiet room and listen to words read aloud. You’ll repeat the words out loud.
  • Word recognition testing (WRT): In this test, you are asked to listen to sentences that have certain words that are difficult to hear embedded in them. For example, if it’s your hearing loss that is causing problems with understanding, these sentences might contain sounds like “fee” or “tee.”
  • Speech discrimination testing (SDT): This test measures how well you can tell one sound from another (like whether two different voices are the same). It is used for both adults and children who have trouble understanding speech. In SDT, you’ll hear short phrases played through headphones while wearing noise protection equipment such as earmuffs or foam earplugs so that any surrounding noises don’t interfere with your results.*

Tympanometry: This test looks closely at the eardrum and middle ear. Your doctor will place a plug-like device in your ear canal. It changes pressure in your ear while a machine checks your eardrum’s movement and looks for fluid behind it.

Tympanometry is a test that looks closely at the eardrum and middle ear. Your doctor will place a plug-like device in your ear canal. It changes pressure in your ear while a machine checks your eardrum’s movement and looks for fluid behind it.

Tympanometry can find out if you have:

  • Fluid buildup behind your eardrum (also known as otorrhea)
  • A partial blockage of one or both Eustachian tubes, which connect the back of our throats with our ears (this may cause problems hearing during airplane flights)

Acoustic reflex testing: A probe goes into your ear that can stimulate your facial nerve, which controls the muscles around your eye and middle ear. During this test, you won’t say if you hear something — you can just relax.

Acoustic reflex testing: A probe goes into your ear that can stimulate your facial nerve, which controls the muscles around your eye and middle ear. During this test, you won’t say if you hear something — you can just relax. If there is hearing loss in either ear, certain things will happen when the probe is inserted.

  • With normal hearing: The muscles around your eyes aren’t stimulated when a tone is played through headphones or speakers inside the ears. They contract briefly (about one second) when an intense sound such as a car horn goes off nearby but otherwise stay relaxed
  • With sensorineural hearing loss (bilateral): The muscles around both eyes contract for about three seconds after each tone regardless of its loudness level
  • With conductive hearing loss (unilateral): There may be no response to sounds transmitted via bone conduction unless they are very loud; however if bone conduction is used with only one side blocked by wax or impacted cerumen then there will be contraction of eye muscles when tones are heard through air conduction on that side only

There are several types of simple hearing tests for audiologists to use in diagnosing hearing loss.

Hearing tests are used to determine the cause of hearing loss and determine the severity of your hearing loss. They’re also a useful tool for monitoring how well you’re responding to treatment.

There are several types of simple hearing tests for audiologists to use in diagnosing hearing loss by testing your ability to hear speech sounds in different frequencies (called frequency selectivity).

Conclusion

No matter what type of hearing test you take, the results will give your doctor an idea of how much hearing you have and where the problem is. Your ears may not be the only thing affected by the loss of hearing—it can also affect your emotional health and ability to communicate with others. It’s important for all adults to get regular tests for hearing loss so they can prevent further damage from occurring or keep their quality of life at its best!