Treating a hearing loss starts with a prober evaluation.
Here at Optimal Hearing Center we provide a diagnostic hearing evaluation to determine the type, severity and configuration of your hearing loss. These tests allows your audiologist to prescribe a personalized treatment plan to solve your hearing problems.
Hearing Evaluation Includes:
Otoscopy
- Your audiologist will examine your ear canals using a magnifying otoscope checking for excessive earwax and the health of your auditory canal and eardrum. A referral to an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist will be made if there are signs that require a referral to a physician.
A Pure tone audiometry
- A hearing test uses a pure tone air and bone conduction audiometry. During this test, your audiologist is measuring the softest sound you perceive across a range of frequencies. The results will determine the type and severity of your hearing loss.
Speech Testing
- This test measures your optimal ability to understand speech in quiet. Some people have more difficulty understanding speech than others regardless of how loud the speech is. This is referred to as a loss of discrimination or clarity. The lack of clarity is a common problem for many people.
Otoacoustic emissions
- OAEs are weak acoustic signals emitted from the cochlea spontaneously or in response to sound stimulation. When testing the OAE, a small microphone is installed in the external ear canal to register the signals.
Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR)
- This test is used with children or others who cannot complete a typical hearing screening. The ABR is also used if your symptoms might be due to hearing loss in the brain or in a brain pathway.You will have electrodes put on your head to get ready for the ABR. The electrodes are stuck to your skin and connected to a computer. They record brain wave activity in response to sounds you hear through earphones. All you have to do is rest quietly or sleep during the test.
Middle Ear Testing – Tympanometry
- Tympanometry can help diagnose disorders that can lead to hearing loss, especially in children. The test measures the movement of your tympanic membrane in response to changes in pressure.
This test can help your doctor determine if you have:
– Fluid in your middle ear.
– Otitis media (a middle ear infection).
– A perforation (tear) in the tympanic membrane.
– A problem with the eustachian tube, which links the upper part of the throat and nose with the middle ear.