How Can We Know if Our Hearing Has Changed?
Experience the difference a professional hearing evaluation makes
Hearing loss affects more than just your ability to hear sound. It affects your ability to engage in conversation with friends and family and can affect your ability to process and remember the events of your daily life, leading to feelings of isolation and depression. Untreated hearing loss can diminish your quality of life and separate you from others. A professional hearing evaluation will help us design a treatment plan that allows you to hear your best and live life on your terms.
Step One: The Interview
The interview helps us get to know you so we can understand some of the difficulties you have been experiencing. It is important for us to gather all sorts of information so we can be thorough in our evaluation. Some typical questions you’ll want to prepare for are:
- Have you had your hearing tested before? What did you learn about your hearing?
- Have you had any illnesses or injuries that might have affected your hearing?
- Have you taken any medications that might have contributed to hearing impairment?
- Have you been exposed to loud noises in your workplace or while participating in leisure activities?
- Where do you have difficulties hearing? Where do you want to be able to hear well?
Step Two: The Examination
Our hearing care providers take a close look inside each of your ears with a special instrument called an otoscope. We need to know if there is an obstruction or damage to the ear canals or eardrums before we begin measuring your hearing.
Step Three: Measuring Your Hearing
There are several different types of measurements that we perform to get a complete picture of how your hearing system works.
- A hearing screening (signal when you hear the tone) may be all we need to do to find out if you have normal hearing or some level of hearing loss.
- A diagnostic audiogram is a more complete set of tests which show your hearing loss as pitch and loudness change, and give us the information we need to determine the type of hearing loss you have (sensorineural, conductive, or mixed).
- A variety of speech tests allow us determine how well you can understand words in both quiet and noisy environments.
Step Four: Treatment Options
When we have completed your hearing test, we will take the time to explain the results to you and answer any questions you may have. If you have hearing loss, we will make treatment recommendations based on your specific needs. We will consider your listening lifestyle and goals in combination with your test results to customize a hearing solution for you. Typically, this recommendation includes the use of hearing aid technology.
In most cases, we will be able to demonstrate this technology in the office so you can experience the sound quality of the specific hearing aids recommended for you. Our job is to educate you about what is available so that you can make your best decision about getting the hearing help most beneficial to you.