Hearing Evaluation

Hearing evaluations consist of multiple tests to determine whether a hearing loss exists. If a hearing loss does exist our Audiologist will measure its type, degree, and configuration. Your results for each individual test will be used to develop a treatment plan geared toward your unique hearing loss.

Depending on your needs/concerns, the following tests may be completed.

Otoscopy

Using a video otoscope, the Audiologist will examine the structures of the otter ear parts of the middle ear via the ear canal. The video otoscope allows you to also see the findings.

Pure Tone Testing

Do you remember raising your hand when you heard the beep in elementary school? This is pure tone testing! The goal is to find the softest sound you can hear at a variety of pitches (frequencies). The different pitches that will be tested are the main frequencies we need to hear speech (250 – 8k Hz).

Bone Conduction Testing

Much like pure tone testing, bone conduction testing will use the same technique using a different headphone called a bone oscillator. This headband type headphone will bypass your outer and middle ear to assess the inner ear directly. This will help the audiologist determine what section of the ear the damage has occurred in.

Speech Reception Threshold

This test uses very soft recorded speech to determine the lowest level you can correctly repeat a word. This helps ensure the pure tone testing is reliable.

Word Recognition Score

We hear with our ears, but we process in our brains. This test will determine the ability to understand speech in a quite environment.

MCLs/UCLs

Hearing loss can cause loudness recruitment which is a quick growth of loudness with high intensity sounds, resulting in sensitivity to loud sounds. To help ensure the Audiologist does not test at a level that is too loud, most comfortable listening levels and uncomfortable listening levels will be recorded.