Hearing Tests
Hearing tests (audiology evaluations) are a group of tests that check how well you hear. These tests help find out if you have hearing loss. If hearing loss is present, the tests also show what kind of hearing loss you have and how severe it is. A hearing evaluation will determine whether your hearing loss is a result of problems in the outer ear (ear canal, ear drum), middle ear (space behind the ear drum, including the ear bones), inner ear (cochlea), or a combination. With this knowledge, we can determine the appropriate treatment for you.
Hearing loss often happens slowly over time. Because it changes little by little, many people do not notice it right away. People often adjust to the change without realizing it.
If you think your hearing may be changing, a hearing test is a good first step. Finding hearing loss early can make treatment more successful.
AUDIOMETRY
During this test, you will sit in a quiet, sound-proof room and listen to different tones and words. You respond when you hear them.
Adults will wear small earphones placed in the ears or headphones over the ears. The test checks how well you hear sounds of various pitches and volumes.
Next, a small device called a bone oscillator is placed behind your ear. This device sends sound vibrations directly to the inner ear(cochlea). It tests how the inner ear (cochlea) is working without using the ear canal, eardrum, or ear bones.
The results are shown on a graph called an audiogram. The audiogram shows the quietest sounds you can hear at different pitches. It helps your provider understand the type and level of hearing loss.
These results help us to determine if hearing loss is caused by a problem in the outer ear, middle ear, inner ear, or a combination of these areas.
Often when testing hearing, tests are performed to determine how well you can hear and understand spoken words. These tests are called Word Recognition and Speech Reception.
TYMPANOMETRY
During this test, a small probe that looks like an earbud is placed in your ear. A small amount of air is puffed into the ear canal and measures how the eardrum moves and how you equalize barometric pressure. The test creates a graph called a tympanogram.
This test helps find problems such as:
- Fluid in the ear (ear infections)
- A hole in the eardrum
- Problems with the eustachian tube (the tube that helps balance ear pressure)
OTOACOUSTIC EMISSIONS (OAEs)
The inner ear can create very small sounds, not detectable by the human ear, when it responds to noise. These sounds are called otoacoustic emissions.
During this test, a soft probe, similar to an ear bud, is placed in the ear canal. The probe plays a clicking sound and a tiny microphone listens for the response back from the inner ear.
This test can sometimes find inner ear damage before hearing loss is noticeable on an audiogram.
However, the OAE test only checks the inner ear. It does not test the hearing pathway from the ear to the brain.
