There is no special preparation for the test. Hearing loss is often described as follows:Īn audiologist performs a hearing test. Audiogram of a patient with an acoustic neuroma shows hearing loss in the left ear. On an audiogram chart, red O's indicate the right ear's results and blue X's the left ear's results (Fig. Pure tone audiometry charts the hearing level of different tone frequencies in both ears. Acoustic reflex testing evaluates the cranial nerves and brainstem. Word recognition scores can be helpful in predicting the usefulness of a hearing aid.Ī tympanometry test detects problems such as fluid/wax buildup, perforated eardrum, ossicle bone damage, or tumors in the middle ear. If your speech discrimination is poor, speech may sound garbled. Normal hearing range is 250-8,000 Hz at 25 dB or lower.Ī word recognition test (also called speech discrimination test) assesses a person's ability to understand speech from background noise. Low bass tones range 50-60 Hz, high-pitched tones range 10,000 Hz or higher. The tone of sound is measured in frequencies (Hz). A whisper is about 20 dB, loud music ranges 80-120 dB, and a jet engine is about 180 dB. The loudness of sound is measured in decibels (dB). During the test, you will wear earphones and hear a range of sounds directed to one ear at a time. The movement of hair cells generates nerve signals that our brain then understands as sound.Ī pure tone audiometry test measures the softest, or least audible, sound that a person can hear. When the vibration hits the cochlea, it causes the liquid, and subsequently the hair cells, to move. The cochlea is a spiral tube filled with liquid and lined with hair cells that are microscopic in size. The stapes delivers vibrations to the cochlea in the inner ear. The ossicles consist of the malleus, incus, and stapes. Vibrations are passed along tiny bones (ossicles) in the middle ear. Vibrations are made when sound hits the eardrum. The outer ear collects sound waves from the environment and funnels them down the ear canal to the eardrum. Your audiologist will explain your hearing test results to you and discuss various difficulties you may notice in your day-to-day life.Figure 1. Hearing loss looks different for each person, and no two audios are the same. If only part of your range of hearing falls under the speech banana, then you might notice some difficulty hearing everything being said in conversations. Many people diagnosed with age-related hearing loss have more difficulty with high frequencies, which is why they may have a hard time hearing children and women with high voices.Īlso highlighted in these examples is the “speech banana.” This is the region of frequencies and decibels in which conversations usually take place. A flat line shows the patient can hear all frequencies at the same decibel level. A sloping line shows frequencies at one end of the spectrum will be more difficult than frequencies at the other end. Anything above the line is sound you can comfortably hear. The lines you see in the examples show different degrees and types of hearing loss. Points towards the bottom of the graph indicate more hearing loss. From top to bottom, it shows the minimum amount of decibels needed for you to hear at each frequency. Through a range of frequencies moving left to right, the audio maps your range of hearing. There are several different aspects of a hearing test, but the audiogram, or audio, is the central piece.
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