Do you perceive other people's speech as mumbling? Have you problems for hearing in a group of people? Or, do you turn the volume of the TV much higher than you used to? If one, two, or all of these statements are true for you, chances are you need a hearing assessment.
Moreover, signs that indicate that you are experiencing a hearing loss problem include difficulty to separate speech from background sounds, missing key parts of the speech, inability to hear soft sounds, fluid discharge, tinnitus (hearing constant noise in the ears) dizziness, etc.
Audiology assessments include a technique and procedures for examining hearing capability. The purpose of this test is checking for potential hearing issues and if spotted determining the degree of hearing damage. After performing the diagnostic procedures, an individual treatment plan is determined to depend on the received results.
Audiology evaluation procedures are performed by qualified audiologists in special audiology clinics. In general, audiology assessments are performed for persons over the age of 60 and less commonly for younger individuals who experience certain difficulties or obstructions in hearing.
Depending on your age and symptoms, the procedure for audiology evaluation may differ, but in general, the audiology assessments consist of several key steps. If you've never undergone this type of medical procedure, read on to learn what you should expect during the hearing test. In other words, here's a simple overview of the general steps that consist a hearing test.
- Examination of Hearing History
This is, in fact, a simple conversation with your audiologist. During this initial step, your audiologist will ask you to answer general questions in respect of the hearing loss history in your family as well as questions related to your symptoms.
- Visual Audiology Evaluation
With the help of special audiologist tool called otoscope, the audiology practitioner will examine your outer and inner ear visually. The results of the examination are displayed on a video screen. After analyzing the results received, the audiologist will be able to tell whether there are potential blockages (such as ear wax, perforations and infections) in the inner ear that might obstruct your hearing.
- Pure Tone Air-Conduction Hearing Test
This is a procedure for testing your hearing upon tones that range in frequency. On the base of your response (you will need to press a button or raise a hand for the tones you are able to perceive) to the tones with different frequency, the audiologist can determine the degree of your hearing damage. A similar procedure to this is bone conduction test. It is a procedure that is performed for the purpose of examining the inner ear.
