Hearing plays a huge role in everyday life—whether chatting with friends, listening to music or simply hearing the leaves rustling in the trees at Columbia Park. One important step in protecting this vital sense is scheduling regular tests with a hearing specialist. Let’s take a look at what you can expect from a hearing testing appointment.
Step 1: Symptoms and Medical History
Before any testing begins, your specialist will start with a conversation about your medical history and symptoms. Common signs of hearing loss include:
- Difficulty hearing speech in crowded rooms
- Feeling that others are mumbling
- Turning up the TV or radio volume higher than is comfortable for others
- Difficulty hearing children or birds
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
Make note if you’ve experienced any of the above symptoms and tell your hearing specialist about them during the symptoms and medical history part of the exam.
Step 2: Pure Tone Testing
Pure tone testing is the part most people associate with hearing exams. You might remember doing it in elementary school. Also known as an audiometry test, it measures the softest sounds a person can hear at different frequencies. Here’s how it works:
- The specialist places headphones over your ears
- They play a series of tones at different pitches and volumes in one ear at a time
- You signal (usually by pressing a button) when you hear a sound
The results create an audiogram, a visual representation of hearing ability across different frequencies.
Step 3: Speech Testing
Hearing isn’t just about detecting sound—it’s also about understanding it. Speech testing evaluates how well you recognize words at varying volume levels. Speech testing may differ patient-to-patient but will likely include the following:
- Your specialist will play a recorded or live speech through headphones
- You will repeat words back the words and sentences as you hear them
- Your specialist may play speech-in-noise audio to simulate listening in a crowded setting
Your specialist will note the words you hear or mishear to get a sense of your ability to process the sounds you hear.
Step 4: Tympanometry – Checking Ear Health
While sensorineural (inner ear) issues make up the bulk of permanent hearing loss, issues with the middle ear—like fluid buildup or eardrum stiffness—can also be at fault. Tympanometry helps detect these issues with the following steps:
- They place a small probe in the ear canal
- They use the probe to blow air into the middle ear while playing a tone
- Your specialist analyzes how the eardrum moves in response to the air and noise
If the eardrum doesn’t move properly, there could be an infection, fluid or even a blockage affecting hearing.
Understanding what to expect during a hearing test makes the process less intimidating. More importantly, catching hearing issues early can improve overall quality of life. Contact Torrance Audiology today to schedule your hearing test with one of our trusted specialists.