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.
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.
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
A Look into Your Ears
Diagnostic Testing
Tympanometry
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
Otoacoustic Emissions
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.
Patient Stories
You Ask, We Answer
Can You Pass A Hearing Test But Still Have Problems Hearing?
Encouraging A Loved One To Take A Hearing Test
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.
