Diagnostic Hearing Evaluations

Have you been told by a family member, friend, or doctor that you need to get your hearing checked? Do you feel that "everyone mumbles" and you often need to say "what!?" when people talk to you? A diagnostic hearing evaluation can determine if a hearing loss is present.

Diagnostic hearing evaluations are helpful in determining the type and severity of a hearing loss.  A hearing evaluation can also distinguish your ability to hear sound versus your ability to understand sound. The results can also provide some insight as to what caused the hearing loss.  A diagnostic hearing evaluation is crucial in determining the next steps to treatment, as well as any additional referrals to other healthcare professionals.

What assessments will be done?

Otoscopy: The audiologist will examine your outer ear, ear canal, and other surrounding areas with an otoscope.  Otoscopy is done to determine the status of the eardrum, whether the ear canal is clear and does not have excessive wax, and that the pinna is healthy.

Tympanometry: The audiologist will test the function of your eardrum using a specialized machine called a tympanometer.  The audiologist is measuring how your eardrum moves to sound and a small change in pressure.

Pure Tone Testing: The audiologist will test your ability to hear various sounds using a specialized machine called an audiometer.  Several beeps of varying pitch and loudness will be played in order to determine your hearing threshold.  Two versions of this test is completed. One version uses your whole hearing system, and the other version skips the outer parts of your ear and plays sounds only to your inner ear.

Speech Testing: The audiologist will test your ability to understand speech at different sound levels.  Speech testing is useful in determining whether a you can hear clearly and successfully identify sounds.

Speech-in-noise Testing:  The audiologist will test your ability to understand speech with background noise.  This test sounds a lot like hearing in a busy restaurant or at a party.  Background noise is most common issue patient's report with hearing, and correctly assessing it is crucial in determining a treatment plan.

Other Specialized Tests: For young children and some adults with cognitive and developmental conditions, conditioned play audiometry will be performed to assess hearing thresholds. Conditioned play audiometry allows the audiologist to assess hearing thresholds when the patient is not able to actively participate in the assessment.

What can I expect at this appointment?

The diagnostic hearing evaluation will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.  After the assessment, the audiologist will discuss your test results with you.  If you have additional school forms, job forms, government forms, or any other application form that requires a review from an audiologist, allow for extra time so the audiologist can accurately complete these documents.

If the results indicate you have a hearing loss, allow for sufficient time to discuss your options.

At HearingBeyond, we see the value of family and friend support.  We recommend you bring a friend or family member to your hearing test.  It helps to have another person you trust at this appointment to also understand the results and any recommendations.

Remember, don't be afraid to ask questions; The best way to understand your results is to have a healthy discussion about it!