How You Can Test Your Hearing

Read More About Health Care

Anyone that believes that they might be suffering from some form of hearing loss should try to make an appointment to see a professional audiologist for a hearing test as early as they can. An audiologist will not only test your level of hearing but try to find the cause of any hearing loss that the person is suffering from. This article is to help you understand more about the different tests that an audiologist may perform.

The first thing an audiologist will do is take a complete medical history. Expect to also provide details of your work history and the types of sound you have been exposed to whilst at work. You will be expected to provide details of past illnesses and injuries, especially if they could have had an effect on your hearing.

You will be asked about your relatives and whether they have also suffered from hearing problems to see whether any hearing loss could be genetic. Audiologists use instruments called otoscopes to examine the inside of a patient?s ears. This device will allow the audiologist to diagnose abnormalities of the eardrum or inner ear.

Most hearing tests will have an audiogram as part of them which the audiologist will carry out in a sound proofed room. The patient will be told to put on some headphones once inside the room. Tones are played in both ears through the headphones and a record is kept of the lowest tones that the patient can hear in each ear. It is very possible that you will recall a similar test you had when your first went to school. The equipment is likely to be more sophisticated at an audiologist?s clinic but the principle is exactly the same.

A tympanometry may also be carried out which is when the audiologist will place a pressure probe in the middle ear. A tone is played whilst the device gentle raises and lowers the air pressure inside the ear. The purpose of tympanometry is to determine whether fluid or other disorders of the middle ear are contributing to the hearing loss.

Some hearing tests use a tuning fork as part of the examination. After it is struck the tuning fork makes the middle ear vibrate if placed near to the patient's ear. The vibrations produced by the tuning fork are then sent to the patient's inner ear by holding it against the patient's bone behind heir ear. One of these two different tones may appear louder and the audiologist will make a record of these findings. The exact location of the patient's hearing loss can be identified by completing this test.

The audiologist is also likely to perform a test called a 'site of lesion' test to find the cause of hearing loss. This test compares the patient's hearing in ear of their ears when other sounds are detected. A site of lesion test uses the same equipment as an audiogram but a different range of results.

Other medical tests may be recommended by the audiologist to determine whether any other medical conditions may be causing the hearing loss. X-rays can be taken of the inner ear and the brain to have close look at the nerves that are associated with hearing.

A truly accurate diagnosis may depend on combining different tests which will allow the best treatment to be prescribed. Thanks to a variety of hearing tests available today, many patients with hearing loss can get a precise diagnosis and effective treatment to enjoy better hearing and a higher quality of life.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

When you would like to get more information on free hearing test check out this site. For further insights on hearing screening be sure to visit that site.

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Health Care Articles Via RSS!

Additional Articles From - Home | Health | Health Care

Our other websites
All about SEO
Beauty Tips Forum

	Print This Article
	Post Comment
	Add To Favorites
	Email to Friends
	Ezine Ready

Submit Articles
Member Login
Link Us
Submission Guidelines
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds
Sitemap

New Stuff
About Us
Developer
Good shopping portal
Link to Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service