Audiology Services

Who Have Hearing Tests?

You can have a hearing screening at any age. 

• Babies have a hearing screening before they leave the hospital. 
• Children are typically screened at school or at the doctor’s office. 
• Adults can go to the doctor for a screening.

Benefits of an Effective Hearing Test

Hearing Test diagnose and help with the management of any hearing loss found. The benefits of hearing loss management are:

• Better relationships - The earlier you detect your hearing loss the easier it is to get help and enjoy your relationships as you did before.
• Better health - Hearing loss has been linked with cognitive decline, brain tissue loss, depression, dementia, and an increased risk for falling. Any treatment, early or late into the process is better than none.
• No more missing the little things - When you’re rushing through life and your hearing is declining slowly, you often don’t notice the things that you’re missing until you get them back.
• Gain confidence - The biggest benefit of booking an appointment with an audiologist is the fact that you can regain some of that lost confidence when you get your hearing back. There is a lot of uncertainty felt for those who are losing their hearing and a hearing aid can really elevate your quality of life.

When Should You Consider Getting a Hearing Test?

In infants, hearing screening is done shortly after birth. For older children or adults, hearing should be checked at least once every 10 years up to the age of 50. 

Patients over 50 years of age should have their hearing screened every 3 years. 

Regular screenings will help you keep track of your hearing and get help when you need it.

Some people may suspect that they have hearing loss. They have trouble hearing people talk to them when they’re in a crowded room, or they’ve been told they raise the volume on the TV way too high.

But not all people know that they have a problem. You may not realize that you have hearing loss, because it’s often a gradual process. That’s why it’s important to have your ears checked when your doctor says you should, even if you think you’re fine.

What are the Types of Hearing Loss?

There are three categories of hearing loss these are:

• Sensorineural hearing loss - this is the most common type of hearing loss, it occurs when inner ear nerves are damaged and do not properly transmit sound signals to the brain. It is the most common type of hearing loss caused by the withering of the hair cells in the inner ear due to age, noise damage or medications. Without healthy hair cells the ear cannot detect sounds properly.
• Conductive hearing loss - Conductive hearing loss is typically the result of obstructions in the outer or middle ear, which prevent sound from entering the middle ear. Voices and sounds may sound faint, distorted or both. Most conductive hearing loss cases can be treated medically or surgically.
• Mixed hearing loss - Mixed hearing loss is a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss. 

Causes of Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Common causes of sensorineural hearing loss include:

• Aging
• Injury
• Excessive noise exposure
• Viral infections (such as measles or mumps)
• Shingles
• Ototoxic drugs (medications that damage hearing)
• Meningitis
• Diabetes
• Stroke
• High fever or elevated body temperature
• Ménière's disease (a disorder of the inner ear that can affect hearing and balance)
• Acoustic tumors
• Heredity
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Hypertension

Causes of Conductive Hearing Loss

Common causes of conductive hearing loss are typically “obstructions” such as:

• Infections of the ear canal or middle ear resulting in fluid or pus buildup
• Perforation or scarring of the eardrum
• Wax buildup
• Dislocation of the middle ear bones (ossicles)
• Foreign object in the ear canal
• Otosclerosis (an abnormal bone growth in the middle ear)
• Abnormal growths or tumors

What can an Audiology Hearing Test Diagnose?

A Hearing Screening test can help diagnose:

• Chronic disease. Some cases of hearing loss are not caused by a problem with the ear, but by an interruption of blood flow to the ear or brain. Strokes, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis can all cause mild to moderate hearing loss.
• Meniere’s disease. If you are experiencing extreme dizziness, loss of balance, and nausea, a hearing screening could lead to a diagnosis of Meniere’s disease. This condition is caused by an imbalance of fluids in the inner ear, causing a ringing in the ears (tinnitus), a blocked feeling or hearing loss in one or both ears, and severe vertigo.
• Paget’s disease. This bone disorder may have no early symptoms, and cause lifelong injuries and medical conditions in the patient. As time goes on, patients with Paget’s disease may suffer hearing loss and chronic headaches, as well as nerve, bone, and joint pain. In severe cases, patients may have abnormally large head sizes, improper spine curvature, or severe bowing of the arms and legs.
• Pendred syndrome. Pendred syndrome is a genetic condition that causes hearing loss, thyroid dysfunction, and balance problems in children. A child who is born with Pendred syndrome is likely to lose hearing function early in life, in some cases before the child reaches three years old. Hearing loss caused by Pendred syndrome will usually worsen over time, and can lead to total deafness.
• Otosclerosis. This disease causes the bones in the middle ear to harden, preventing them from conducting sound into the inner ear. Otosclerosis can often be treated or even reversed with surgery.

What Other Diagnostic Information can a Hearing Test Show?

The nature of the hearing loss (sensorineural, conductive, or mixed) is usually apparent from the audiometric data. 

The cause(s) are not always certain, but the physician should state an opinion about causation to a “reasonable medical certainty.” In other words, a doctor can often identify a cause only if it is more likely than not that it contributed to the patient's hearing loss.

The Degrees of Hearing Loss

The Degrees of Hearing Loss can be described as follows:

• Normal = less than 25 db HL
• Mild = 25-40 db HL
• Moderate = 41-65 dB HL
• Severe = 66-90 db HL
• Profound = more than 90 db HL

Preparation for an Audiology Test

There is no special preparation for an Audiology Test. 

It can be worthwhile considering what you want to learn from a Hearing Test. Possibly ask yourself if you have any concerns or specific worries relating to your hearing.

What can be beneficial is compiling a list or situations where you struggle to hear. Some examples could include: phone calls, TV with background noise, or in busy restaurants? 

By providing your audiologist a more complete picture of when you struggle to hear can help in creating a better solution if required.

During an Audiology Test

The audiometry tests are conducted in a quiet soundproof room and the process should take about 30 minutes, and it's painless.

Earphones will be placed on your head. 

To obtain an accurate recording and optimise the audiometry results you will be asked to 

• sit still and 
• remain quiet during the test 

The earphones are connected to a machine that will deliver the tones and different sounds of speech to your ears, one ear at a time. 

Pure Tone Audiometry Test 

A pure tone audiometry test measures the softest, or least audible, sound that a person can hear. 

During the test, you will wear earphones and hear a range of sounds directed to one ear at a time. The audiologist will ask you to raise your hand when you hear a sound. For example if you hear a sound with your:

•  left ear, raise your left hand; 
• right ear, raise your right hand. 

You may be asked to push a button or make some other sign that you have recognised a sound. 

The audiologist will record each tone at the lowest possible volume that you were able to hear it.

Rinne and Weber Tests

During a general audiometry test, tuning forks are also used to evaluate the potential for different kinds of hearing loss.

Word Recognition Test

A word recognition test (also called speech discrimination test) assesses a person's ability to understand speech from background noise. 

If your speech discrimination is poor, speech may sound garbled. Word recognition scores can be helpful in predicting the usefulness of a hearing aid.

You are instructed to repeat words you hear. You will hear a series of two-syllable words at a volume that gradually decreases as the test progresses. 

In the second stage of the test, you will hear and repeat a series of one-syllable words at a volume that does not change.

Tympanometry Test

A Tympanometry test detects problems such as fluid/wax buildup, perforated eardrum, ossicle bone damage, or tumors in the middle ear. 

An Acoustic Reflex Test evaluates the cranial nerves and brainstem. This involves a soft plug being placed in your ear. The plug will change pressure, make a loud noise, and track your responses to the sound and various pressures. 

Movement of the eardrum is measured as well as the reflexes of the tiny muscles attached to the ossicles.

Hearing Loss Results 

The audiologist will go over the test results with you. A report is sent to your referring physician, who may be a neurosurgeon, otolaryngologist, or primary care physician. 

They will discuss with you what the test results mean for your condition and treatment options.