Otoscopy, Pure-Tone Testing, & More

If you ever notice that your hearing doesn’t feel as it usually does, the first thing that you need to do is speak to an audiologist. Audiologists are able to help you in a huge range of ways and the first thing that they can do for you is test your hearing accurately and thoroughly.

The right hearing tests can determine the extent of your hearing loss, and you can then get the help that you need from audiologists who know exactly how to help. There are a range of hearing tests used to help you with determining the extent of the issue. Let’s take a look at some of the most common hearing tests that you might be subject to when you have a consultation with your audiologist.

Otoscopy

The very first hearing tests that your audiologist will perform include the examination with an otoscopy. This examines the outer ears and the inner ears, and it checks for any structural issues or lesions. It can also see whether there are any wax buildup to worry about and foreign objects in the ears and even for infections that could be the reason for your hearing loss.

Pure-Tone Testing

A pure-tone test uses air conduction to test your hearing to its fullest extent. During the test, your audiologist will help you here, giving you headphones to capture sounds with. They’ll play different tones and pitches at a range of volumes, and all you have to do is raise a hand or click a button to let them know you have heard the sound. The results are plotted on a graph and then you can see your hearing in its full capacity. Your audiologist will help you to understand the results properly.

A Speech Test

One of the biggest issues with hearing loss is hearing other people talking to you and around you in a crowded place. If you can’t understand speech well enough, this test will be done in ways to test how you can hear in a crowd. Your audiologist will want to ensure that you can make sense of speech in a busy setting and it’s important that you can be helped here. You need your hearing to have its full value and you might not need this test at all, that will be determined by your audiologist.

A Bone Conduction Test

Along with the thorough inner and outer ear tests your audiologist will perform, you’ll also have bone conduction testing. A device is placed on the bones behind your ears and they’ll send vibrations through it to find out how much you can hear. This will also test how your ears react. When you add this to the other two tests, your audiologist can gain a full picture of your hearing.

Your audiologist will use one or all of these tests to gain a clear picture of your hearing health. When you go through each of these tests you can have the best possible support for your hearing.