Peachtree City Location
Hearing Test
The first step to proper hearing health is a hearing test. In the United States, individuals wait an average of seven years from the moment they first detect differences in their hearing to the time they choose to take a hearing test. Waiting this long can greatly increase your chances of getting dementia or falling. Hearing experts recommend an annual hearing test for individuals over the age of 50.
You may begin to feel anxious as the date of your hearing test approaches. We're here to reassure you that a hearing test is simple, painless, and non-invasive.
Here's what you can expect from a hearing test.
Take some time to think about your needs before you come in for your hearing test. Please think of the situations where you find it hard to hear the most. Is it during video calls? Are you unable to hear the TV? Maybe you find it hard to understand others in group environments.
Make sure to take notice if you have recently been subjected to excessively loud noise. Write down the names of all the medication you are taking, as certain drugs can affect your hearing.
Wondering what to expect in a hearing test? Here are the common stages you will encounter:
A Consultation
You'll consult with us before you take any hearing tests. We will review your medical history, as well as that of your relatives. We will ask whether you are on any medications now, if you have recently had a cold or ear infection, and whether you have been exposed to high volumes of noise lately. These factors can affect your hearing abilities.
You will also be asked about your work, everyday life, and hobbies by your hearing specialist. Bear in mind that the more you share with your hearing professional about your lifestyle, the more details they will have to address your hearing needs.
A Physical Exam
The physical examination is the next step. Using an otoscope (a device that helps us look at the ear canals and eardrums), we will inspect your ears. This makes it possible for us to assess if your ears or eardrums are damaged. They will also find out if your ear canal has any blockages (such as earwax).
A Set of Hearing Tests
Hearing tests are meant to assess your hearing capacity and the ability of your brain to receive sound. You will be asked to put on some headphones. Then, to start the hearing tests series, we will ask you to sit in a soundproof room. Don't worry - the tests are non-invasive and painless! Here are the types of tests we will conduct:
Pure Tone Audiometry: We'll ask you to listen to a series of tones of varied pitch and intensity. Then you signal when you hear a sound. The pure tonic audiometry test tests your hearing capacity concerning frequency (hertz-measured) and loudness (decibel-measured).
Speech Recognition: Hearing loss impacts our capacity to comprehend speech. Although you can hear the words spoken by others, they may be hard to understand. We will read a sequence of words in various volumes in the test's speech recognition section and ask you to repeat the words. This test tests the ability to understand speech in regular conversation.
Tympanometry and Otoacoustic Emissions: These tests tell us about the function of the ear drum, ear bones, and tiny nerve endings called “Hair Cells” that are in the cochlea.
Cognitive Screening: The last step will be a cognitive screening. This measures your current cognitive abilities in five key areas and compares your scores to those of other people your age. This helps us determine if you may have some cognitive decline that could be related to hearing loss.
Reviewing Your Audiogram
We record your hearing test results in an audiogram, a visual representation of your hearing skills. The audiogram indicates whether you have a hearing loss, and if so, what kind of hearing loss you have, as well as the degree to which you are experiencing it.
Based on the findings, we will explain your results and the next plan of action to treat your hearing if a hearing loss is present.
If hearing loss is detected, hearing aids are prescribed as the most effective treatment. We'll consult with you to find the right care to suit your specific needs.
Hearing treatment is never “one size fits all” and is way more than just turning sound up. At our clinics, we don’t just sell hearing aids to you. We work with all brands to ensure that you are receiving the best and most appropriate technology for your hearing loss. We do the most advanced testing with the hearing aids in your ears to ensure that your hearing aid prescription is accurate for your hearing loss, and we do this annually as your hearing will change. Finally, we treat you with a treatment plan that includes the hearing aids, but also includes 48 months of testing and treatment to ensure that you are hearing the best that you can and that we are keeping your brain properly stimulated to keep it healthy.
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