Hearing checkups are an important part of your overall health. If you’ve got a hearing appointment coming up, a little preparation can help reduce the stress many people experience around medical appointments. Let’s demystify the testing process first.
1. Understand the Hearing Test Process
Hearing testing is fast and straightforward. We’ll start with an ear exam to look for physical blockages, such as earwax buildup or infection. Next, we’ll conduct a pure tone hearing test. During the test, we’ll play a series of noises at different volumes and frequencies and ask you to press a button whenever you hear a beep. We’ll chart the results on an audiogram to determine whether you have hearing loss.
We may also test your eardrum movement. During tympanometry, we’ll place a small probe in your ear canal. The probe contains a sound port, an air-pressure port, and a measuring port. It delivers a soft tone while gently changing the air pressure in your ear canal to measure how well your eardrum and middle ear respond. This helps us assess middle ear function and identify issues such as fluid behind the eardrum, eustachian tube dysfunction or a perforated eardrum.
If your tests reveal hearing issues, we’ll walk you through treatment options, such as hearing aids.
2. Come With Questions
Hearing loss affects an estimated 15% of U.S. adults.1 If you’ve noticed any hearing changes, make note of them before your appointment. A few common changes people with hearing loss experience include:
- Ringing or buzzing in the ears
- Difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments
- Trouble understanding high-pitched sounds like children’s voices or the birds in Scott Springs Park
- Not being able to hear the TV at its regular volume
If you already wear hearing aids, note any times when they didn’t provide enough amplification. We can adjust their settings if they’re no longer working for you or recommend new hearing aids if your hearing loss has progressed beyond the amplification capabilities of your current devices.
3. Think About Your Noise Exposure
We’re better able to help you if we understand your complete medical history. For audiologists, that history includes your exposure to loud noise. If you’re a construction or factory worker, listen to your music too loudly or attend a lot of concerts, we can help you find ways to protect your hearing and treat hearing loss if it has already occurred.
Regular appointments will help us care for your hearing in the long run. Contact Beneficial Hearing Aid Center today with any questions you have about your upcoming appointment.
Sources
1 National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (2024). Quick statistics about hearing, balance, & dizziness. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing Learn More: