Start the Year Off Right with an Annual Hearing Test

It’s that time of year again. We’re reflecting on the past year and making new year’s resolutions to do it better this year. We resolve to look after our health, treat our loved ones with more kindness, call our relatives more often, or finally get around to buying that gym membership. While many of us have resolutions that include looking after our health, whether it’s going to the doctor, getting an eye exam, or scheduling that long over-due teeth cleaning, few of us will consider our hearing health.

Why Test Your Hearing?

An annual hearing test should be among your new year’s resolutions, and looking after your hearing health will improve your overall health and wellbeing. Not only will you be able to enjoy clear hearing, but you’ll be able to detect hearing loss as soon as possible. Hearing loss is often a gradual process, and especially as we age, hearing loss can creep up on us. We’re able to make small changes to how we listen without even realizing it, and the volume on the TV slowly inches higher.

You might not even be the first to recognize your hearing loss, and a friend or family member might point out that you seem to be struggling to hear. While you might be able to make some adjustments to help you hear better, living with untreated hearing loss leads to a host of negative health outcomes, and a reduced quality of life. That’s why testing your hearing is so important, so you won’t suffer the negative consequences of living with untreated hearing loss.

Baseline Testing

Children and teens often have hearing screenings at school, but how many of us have had our hearing tested even once in the last 20 years? While a full hearing test might not be necessary, it’s recommended that you have at minimum a baseline hearing test performed every year. Unlike a comprehensive hearing test, this is a pass or fail test, and will allow your hearing health specialist to determine quickly if you have any hearing loss.

You’ll listen to a series of beeps, both at quiet volumes and at a normal volume. If your hearing is within the normal range, you can rest easy knowing you have excellent hearing. And if you’re not able to hear certain sounds, you’ll know it’s time to perform a comprehensive hearing test.

An Annual Hearing Test

During an annual hearing test, you can expect a quick, easy, and non-invasive appointment. You’ll answer some questions about your overall health as well as your hearing health, so the hearing health specialist can get a sense of any underlying concerns you might have that could be affecting your hearing. You’ll also have a short physical exam, and have your ears visually inspected for any sign of damage, infection, or buildup of earwax.

As part of the hearing test, you’ll listen to a series of tones at different pitches and different volumes. You’ll indicate what sounds you can hear, and this will provide the basis for your hearing evaluation. Your answers will be graphed on an audiogram, showing what sounds you can hear, and which ones fall outside your range of hearing.

Treating Hearing Loss

If your audiogram shows that you have significant hearing loss, your hearing health specialist will work with you to find the right treatment method. For many, getting a quality pair of hearing aids is the best way to get back to hearing all the sounds around you.

At Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services, we have a wide range of hearing aids, and will work with you to determine what device will best match your lifestyle and hearing needs. Do you need help hearing at the office, or struggle to hear where sounds are coming from when you’re at the park with your grandkids? Do you want to be able to follow conversations with your friends at the restaurant? Whatever the situation, we have the device that can accommodate your hearing loss, and make sure you’re participating fully in your life.

Start the year off right with an annual hearing test, and visit us at Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services to find the device that’s perfect for you.