A Comprehensive Hearing Assessment Is Your First Step on the Journey to Better Hearing

About 466 million people experience disabling hearing loss worldwide, and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that number could grow to more than 900 million by the year 2050.

Most people continue to schedule regular eye exams, dental checkups, annual physicals, and closely monitor their cholesterol and blood pressure, but place a hearing test way down their list of health screening priorities despite these statistics.

Another alarming statistic shows that individuals who have already begun to experience hearing loss wait an average of seven years before scheduling a hearing test.

While they wait, additional damage and the severity of a condition increase as do other negative mental and physical health conditions, affecting relationships, productivity, and their quality of life.

The only way to be sure about whether your hearing has or continues to deteriorate is to measure it with a comprehensive hearing assessment by one of our doctors of audiology at Allison Audiology and Hearing Aid Center.

Dr. Erin Larson, Au.D. talking to a female patient during hearing testing at Allison Audiology Houston, TX

Excellent practice. Truly knowledgeable staff are available to help with any concern or issue. They took great care during my initial exam and hearing test to explain my hearing loss. My new hearing aids have helped so much. I was missing a lot! I feel like my hearing is in the very best hands possible!

– Camille B.

I have never had such a complete examination and the doctor took all the time I needed to explain everything to me. So glad I was fortunate to find her.
They were great helping me get through Medicare and United Health Care red tape and getting as much as they could covered by my insurance. Parking was easy. My wait to see the doctor was short. All in all, it was a really pleasant experience.

– Jim R.

Liked it, service was very good and I was examined by Ryan Keutzer and he explained me the method and listened me carefully. After the examination of my ears, I was called after five days and Hearing Aid was ready it is working good. Staff was very nice and professional.

– Prem D.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hearing Assessments

Q: How often should I get my hearing tested?

A. If you’re over the age of 50, you should have your hearing tested annually, and at least every few years if you’re younger than 50. The State of Texas screens school children in the first two years of school and every other year up to age 13. Frequent testing enables you and your audiologist to establish a baseline and track any changes to your hearing health.

Q: Does someone have to come with me to my hearing test?

A. Though there is no physical assistance necessary during or after a hearing test, it is best to have someone come with you to your appointment. A person who knows you well, like a spouse, son or daughter, or close friend can help provide information regarding your condition for which you might not be aware.

Q: Who should I consult for a hearing test?

A. Hearing aid dispensers give hearing tests, but usually just to sell you a hearing device. Doctors of Audiology, on the other hand, are interested in the big picture and how hearing loss is affecting your lifestyle and overall health, making them the better choice for more accurate, unbiased, and advanced testing, including testing for auditory processing disorder if your hearing test shows normal to near normal hearing.

Q: What kind of results do I get?

A. After your testing, you will be given individual results with an in-depth explanation of what each category means. The categories are:

Normal Range
Slightly Below
Substantially Below Normal

Q: When can I expect the results from my hearing test?

A. Unlike most tests that make you wait several days for lab results, the results of a hearing test are available immediately after the hearing assessment is finished. Only in very rare cases will your audiologist request that you come back another time for your result, due to one reason or another.

Q: I already wear aids. Can I still go for a hearing test?

A. Annual checkups for those with hearing aids are carried out by the hearing care provider who fits your hearing aids. However, if you purchased your hearing aids online, OTC, or from a hearing aid dispenser, if you are new to the area, or unable to continue seeing your regular hearing care provider, then you are welcome to take advantage of a hearing assessment at Allison Audiology and Hearing Aid Center.

Q: What should I do with the results?

A. Our list of best practices at Allison Audiology is an honest discussion about your test results with your audiologist once they are completed. A part of this discussion are the treatment options to specifically address your hearing challenges. We will advise you on how to protect your ears from further damage and recommend treatment, which may or may not include hearing aids, but you have the final say in what you do with the results.

Q: How long does a hearing test take?

A. A hearing assessment takes around 30 minutes, depending on how many different sounds and tests your audiologist would want to do. If additional testing is necessary, it could take a bit longer.

Q: How do I prepare for a hearing test?

A. This is one of those tests you don’t have to study for or limit what you eat beforehand. Clean your ears, avoid loud noises immediately before your assessment, and reschedule if you have a cold in order to get the best results.

What Happens During a Hearing Assessment

A Warm Welcome

Whether it’s your first time in our office or you’re an old pro, our friendly staff will welcome you and help make you comfortable while you wait for your audiologist.

A Friendly Conversation

Your audiologist will ask questions and engage you in a conversation about your occupation, lifestyle, and hobbies, as well as information about your medical history and family history, which helps us understand your risks for ongoing threats and underlying causes of hearing loss. You’ll also have an opportunity to express your concerns and ask questions regarding the hearing challenges you are experiencing and our practice.

A Look into Your Ears

Following our conversation, your audiologist will do a health check of your ear canal using an otoscope, which is a magnifying glass with a tapered tip and a light on the end. Some of our patients discover that a bug, wax buildup, or some other obstruction in the ear canal is all that’s wrong with their hearing and can be solved with a good cleaning or minor procedure.

Diagnostic Testing

Our diagnostic evaluation assesses what sounds you can hear and at what volume levels you can hear them, as well as how well speech can be understood in a quiet or noisy environment. Additional testing is often necessary in order to pinpoint the specific type of hearing loss and level of severity. Testing can include any or all the following:

Tympanometry

A tympanometry is an evaluation of the middle ear. Negative pressure occurs in your ears whenever you have allergies, a cold, or fluid behind the eardrum. Like with the otoscopy, you’ll just sit still and relax while your audiologist performs the examination, which will include a short burst of air into your ear canal.

Pure Tone Audiometry

Establishing your hearing thresholds, or the softest and loudest sounds you can hear at various frequencies, requires a pure tone audiometry. For this test, your audiologist will seat you in a soundproof booth and fit you with a set of headphones.

You’ll be asked to respond each time you hear the tones transmitted through your headphones. This test not only helps identify specific ranges of hearing loss, but also provides data we use to program your hearing aids, if they are necessary to help you hear better.

Word Recognition Testing

In place of tones, your audiologist will transmit spoken words at various pitches and volumes through your headphones during word recognition testing. You will repeat or respond to whatever you hear in order to help determine how well you understand speech.

This test will include the transmission of background noise along with speech in order to simulate a real-world hearing environment. Along with determining the degree of hearing loss you’re experiencing, the test will help predict how well your ears will perform with amplified speech.

Bone Conduction Testing

A bone conduction vibrator is the headband used for the bone conduction test. It allows your audiologist to bypass the hearing pathway and transmit sounds directly to the inner ear, or cochlea, helping to rule out or confirm sensorineural hearing loss.

Otoacoustic Emissions

Otoacoustic emissions, or OAEs, are the vibrations that occur when sound reaches the cochlea. By placing a probe in your ear and transmitting sounds, we’re able to measure these vibrations, which tells your audiologist how well the hair cells in the cochlea transmit sound signals to the brain.

A Discussion About Your Results

To wrap up your comprehensive hearing assessment, your audiologist will present you with the results and explain what each test means. Regardless of whether your tests indicate hearing loss, your audiologist will provide you with the various options necessary to protect or improve your hearing, such as hearing protection for work or certain activities and hobbies, changes to medications or lifestyle habits, or the need for hearing aids.

Our best practices include asking for your input during this process, because for us, the foundation of a viable hearing care partnership begins with transparency and trust.

Schedule a Comprehensive Hearing Assessment

If you’re struggling to hear conversation during a night out or family gathering because of background noise, if others complain about the volume of your television, if friends and family are harassing you about getting “your ears checked,” or if it has been a while since your last screening, it’s time to consider a hearing assessment at Allison Audiology and Hearing Aid Center. The starting point for better hearing is a comprehensive hearing assessment.

Contact us at our Houston clinic to make an appointment by submitting the adjacent form and a member of our team will call you to assist with scheduling.

Patient Stories

"If you are concerned about your hearing and you do nothing about it, you will live your life always concerned about your hearing."

Suffering from hearing loss since he was 7 years old, Billy has endured a lifetime of hearing loss troubles and mishaps.

From punctured eardrums to fluid building behind his eardrums, his luck was falling short and he was concerned his hearing would never improve.

“I felt comfortable and at ease. The people were nice and were willing to take the time to adjust the hearing aids for me and show me how to maintain them.”

“People were always saying I told you that already. I was missing conversations. My mind would have to decode sometimes what someone would say…

“My audiologist was so knowledgeable it made me feel secure and I knew I had come to the right place.”

“I was having to ask people to repeat things and I found myself turning my TV volume up more and more.

“I was worried that wearing a hearing aid would make me look old…

Don’t wait, it will be a change you would not expect – Debbie’s Story

Debbie first noticed she had an issue with her hearing back in 2009 as her hearing began to affect her day-to-day life.…

I can hear nature sounds & understand conversations better, especially with my grandchildren.

Francine has suffered with hearing problems for years due to tinnitus. As it quickly began to escalate, she realized that she needed urgent attention and soon after she came across Allison Audiology…

Fred first visited an ENT clinic to discuss the tinnitus he was experiencing from time to time.

Following his visit, he was surprised to find out that he needed hearing aids and his hearing was in poor condition…

You cannot find a better place to address your hearing challenges. The staff members treat you like family and will go the extra mile to help you.

Frida has spent much of her life struggling with hearing loss. While it was ignored for many years, it gradually began to affect her everyday life and soon she found it hard to socialise with others...

It’s a very clean office with efficient people. You will never be rushed.

While John’s hearing loss was very sudden, he has been amazed at the difference his hearing aids have made to his hearing:

“I never thought I would need hearing aids but am happy to have them now. I could not hear in a busy environment, but now I can...

Professional approach, friendly testing, and various choices in hearing aids

When Ronald first realized he had a hearing challenge, his biggest worry was the “aggressive selling of hearing aids”, which many large distributors fall under.

To his surprise, his first impressions of Allison Audiology were a “peaceful approach of personnel” that addressed his hearing loss concerns effectively and professionally...

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If you have noticed that a loved one might be developing hearing loss, it can be hard to know exactly what to do next. You’ll want to do the right thing so that they can address the hearing loss quickly before it becomes an issue.

Hearing Test FAQs

Whether you suspect that there is a problem with your hearing or just want to establish a baseline, booking an appointment with the audiologist is vital. Before your first hearing test, though, you will likely have a number of questions running around your mind.