What to expect at an annual hearing test (and why you should start them ASAP!)

Though hearing loss is the third most common medical condition in the United States, affecting nearly 50 million Americans, it still takes an average of seven years from the time people first notice changes in their hearing to the time they decide to take a hearing test.

Have you had your hearing tested lately?

With one in three people over the age of 60 experiencing some degree of hearing loss, it is recommended for people in their mid-50s to schedule annual hearing tests – just as a person wearing glasses might have their eyes checked once a year. People under 50 who have experienced changes in their hearing are also encouraged to have their hearing tested as soon as possible.

When hearing loss is identified early and treated immediately, the risk for related issues such as depression, anxiety, social isolation, dementia, and increased incidents of falls and hospitalizations are likely to decrease.

How to Prepare for a Hearing Test

During the first part of your hearing test, your audiologist will ask you details about your lifestyle, personal medical history, and family medical history. Hearing loss may occur for a number of reasons – from sudden trauma from explosive noise, over long-term exposure to damaging volumes of sound, or simply from aging. Consider your most recent activities: have you been exposed to loud sounds as of late?

In terms of medical history, take note if you’ve recently had a cold or ear infection. Also, take note if hearing loss or diseases of the ear are hereditary in your family. Your audiologist will also ask about your daily activities, hobbies, lifestyle, and employment, as they all may have bearing on your hearing health.

During the Hearing Test

Your audiologist will first conduct an otoscopic examination, a simple exam of your ear. In this painless exam, your audiologist will use an otoscope to look inside your ear and to check for inflammation or obstruction within your ear canal in the middle ear. They may also conduct a tympanometry, a test of the middle ear.

Following this, there are a series of specific audiological exams that are conducted, depending on your age. These tests will provide your audiologist with a better picture of your hearing abilities by ear, as well as the type of hearing loss you are experiencing. There are three exams administered at Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services: pure-tone testing, bone-conduction testing, and speech testing. All three are painless and noninvasive.

During the pure-tone conduction air test, your audiologist will play tones at different volumes and frequencies to determine the quietest tone you can hear. You will be asked to wear headphones and signal when you hear a sound.

Similarly, the bone conduction test requires you to wear headphones – but a different pair. This test will inform your audiologist from where your hearing loss originates – the outer, middle, or inner ear. In turn, this will elucidate the type of hearing loss you are experiencing.

The speech test determines your abilities of speech recognition, and at which level you can best recognize speech. Commonly, this test entails your audiologist speaking at different volumes and asking you to repeat what you’ve just heard.

Audiogram: Your Hearing Test Results

All three tests will be recorded in an audiogram, a visualization of your hearing abilities by ear. The speech recognition test will be recorded as a percentage. From these results, as well as information you provided earlier during your consultation, your audiologist will determine whether or not you need treatment for your hearing abilities. If you are prescribed hearing aids, your audiologist will work with you to find the best fit and style to meet your needs.

   You don’t have to live with untreated hearing loss.

Contact us today to schedule a hearing test with one of our audiologists. 

Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services – (949) 364-4361