What happens at a hearing evaluation?
A proper hearing evaluation is critical to the process of obtaining hearing aids. The results of this assesment will guide the Audiologist in making her recommendations regarding the most appropriate hearing aid.
The following are some of the things you can expect from your initial visit and evaluation:
Case History
The Audiologist will ask questions relative to your hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as your history of noise exposure, dizziness, family history and general health. She will gather information which will help to determine the cause and location of the hearing loss.
Testing
You will enter a sound proof booth and be seated in a comfortable chair. The audiologist will visually inspect your ear canals and insert soft foam tips into the canal to get the most accuracte measurement. She will then close the door and you will be asked to press on a button in response to hearing soft "beeping" tones. She will test both ears like this, which is called air conduction.
Then she will do a variety of word discrimination testing depending on the results of air conduction. You will be asked to repeat words from a CD as well as listen to speech in the presence of background noise.
Following the speech testing, she will then change headphones and test your hearing via bone conduction. This test allows the Audiologist to determine if your hearing loss is coming from your nerve, or from your middle ear.
She may also do tympanometry and acoustic reflexes which will give her further information for her battery of tests all leading to an appropriate diagnosis of hearing loss.
Counselling
At the end of the testing, she will lead you out of the sound booth to fully explain the results and show you exactly where in your ear the hearing loss is occuring and make recommendations to improve your ability to hear.
Report Writing
Upon request, the Audiologist will send a copy of your audiogram to your family doctor for your file.