Choosing the Right Hearing Test for Your Needs

Your hearing health can have a huge impact on your quality of life. Your hearing can change for a variety of reasons, from the natural structural changes that occur as part of getting older to being exposed to loud noises.

Some hearing changes may be obvious to you, while others may happen gradually. It is therefore important that you schedule regular hearing tests so that your experience with hearing and your health can be assessed by an audiologist. This will help you to seek the right kind of support, as well as learn more about hearing health, how to maintain better hearing health and how to take preventative steps to support yourself.

Hearing tests are conducted by an audiologist who has a clear understanding of how the ear works and how to better support your hearing health. If you’ve noticed any changes recently to your hearing, then getting a hearing test is an excellent idea. Depending on your particular situation, there are a few different types you can take. Here, we’ll review some of the major types of hearing tests and how they can help provide you with tailored solutions.

Speech Testing

Speech testing is commonly used for both adults and children. It is a test that involves being played a variety of words or phrases, that you will then be asked to repeat back to the audiologist. This will help your audiologist determine your level of hearing as well as how your brain understands speech.

Pure-Tone Testing

Pure-tone testing is another common hearing test. This one uses different sounds to determine what pitches you can hear. This will start on a quiet scale and slowly increase. You will be advised to signal when you can hear the sound, this may be with a button.

Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Test

This is a test used by audiologists so that they can conduct an internal examination of your inner ear, to check its health and functioning. It works by collecting the way that your inner ear responds to sound. It does this through vibrations that echo back into the ear. These sounds are produced when hearing is at a normal level.

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR)

This is a test that is typically used if you have had an injury to the brain, or if you cannot hear sounds on the pure-tone tests. This test considers the pathways between your brain and your ear.

Tympanometry

A tympanometry is a test that is conducted to review the inner ear, to see if there has been any damage such as a ruptured eardrum, fluid or earwax build up. This test works by analyzing the movement of your eardrums to provide the audiologist with feedback.

Different hearing tests can be conducted, based on your hearing health and how you experience sounds. An audiologist will conduct the hearing test most appropriate for your needs and support you. Consider these different hearing tests and which one may be best for you. Once they have conducted a hearing test, they will discuss your treatment options with you, like hearing aids.