How Hearing Tests Work
Hearing tests fall into several categories. There are pure-tone hearing tests that will check whether you’re able to hear frequencies at different pitches. Speech tests ask patients to repeat words they hear through a headset. Then there are tests that measure air pressure in your middle ear, your brain frequencies when processing sounds or emissions that your middle ear makes when exposed to sounds.
At Hearing Solutions, we will likely evaluate your hearing using various tests, including:
Audiometric Test
This hearing test checks how well you can hear when having a conversation using high-frequency words that are commonly confused. You’ll repeat several words that you hear through earphones to make sure you’re able to discern sound combinations in speech. Audiometric tests measure hearing loss as a percent as well as a percent of words you heard accurately.
Tympanometry
This hearing test checks the middle ear using different tones and air pressure. It also helps evaluate how well the eardrum moves and the health of the conduction bones. If the eardrum and bones move less than normal, you may have a problem with your middle ear.
Otoacoustic Emissions (OAEs)
Otoacoustic emissions testing checks how well your inner ear is functioning. The cilia (or small hairs inside your ear) vibrate when exposed to noise, and OAEs are the sounds these vibrations make. People with hearing loss of more than 25 decibels will not produce OEAs.