HEARING TESTS

Introduction

There are numerous tests that can take place to measure how a person hears. In most cases, more than one test will take place to carefully and accurately measure hearing. The test results help determine the treatment options available to patients with hearing impairment or balance and dizziness problems. All hearing tests conducted at the Shea Hearing Aid Center are provided by a professional staff of audiologists and hearing specialists who are licensed in the state of Tennessee.

Approximately 30 million people in the United States experience some degree of hearing loss. More than 55% of all adults over the age of 65 have significant hearing loss. In fact, hearing loss is the third most prevalent chronic medical condition in the U.S. today. There are several types and degrees of hearing loss but the good news is that the Shea Hearing Aid Center specialists can most always find some way to help you with your hearing difficulty.

Any person who suspects a hearing problem should request a hearing test. You may have noticed that you or a loved one are having trouble understanding conversations at work, in restaurants or on the telephone. Maybe you are having trouble understanding certain people or certain types of voices, such as women or children. Another good reason to get a hearing test is if you have a family history of hearing loss. Anyone who is exposed to loud noise during work or recreation should have regular hearing tests and wear high quality ear protectors.

Sometimes your physician may order a hearing test when you do not feel you have any hearing loss. This may be done because you have noticed a balance problem, ringing in your ears, or if you have experienced symptoms such as ear fullness or ear pain. Oftentimes, a family member notices your hearing problem before you do. And finally, many hearing losses develop so slowly, over so many years, that you may not have noticed the change.

COMPREHENSIVE HEARING TESTS

All hearing tests conducted at the Shea Hearing Aid Center are performed by an audiologist or a licensed hearing specialist and take place in a soundproof booth. A case history will be obtained prior to testing in order to discuss areas of hearing difficulty and possibly to explore related medical factors. The following tests will be conducted as part of the comprehensive hearing evaluation:

Pure Tone Audiometry

Pure tone audiometry is completed in a soundproof booth, a room with special treatment to the walls, ceiling, and floor to ensure that background noise does not affect test results. Only those sounds that the specialist introduces into the room, either through earphones or through speakers located in the room, will be heard.

Pure Tone Air Conduction

The hearing specialist uses a calibrated machine called an audiometer to present different tones at different frequencies (pitches) and at different intensity (loudness) levels. A signal of a particular frequency (something similar to a piano note) is presented to one ear, and its intensity is raised and lowered until the person no longer responds consistently. Then another signal of a different frequency is presented to the same ear, and its intensity is varied until there is no consistent response. This procedure is done for at least six frequencies. Then the other ear is tested in the same fashion.

Pure Tone Bone Conduction

In some cases, it is necessary to give a pure tone bone conduction hearing test. In this test, the tone is introduced through a small vibrator placed on the temporal bone behind the ear. This method "by-passes" blockage, such as wax or fluid, in the outer or middle ears and reaches the auditory nerve through vibration of skull bones. This testing can measure functionality of the inner ear independent of the functionality of the outer and middle ears.

Speech Audiometry

The specialist will first determine the softest level at which you can repeat two-syllable words. A second speech test will determine your ability to understand speech at a comfortably loud listening level. This is called speech discrimination, or word recognition.

Speech Reception Threshold (SRT)

Speech reception threshold testing determines the faintest level at which a person can hear and correctly repeat easy-to-distinguish two-syllable (spondaic) words. Examples of spondaic words are "baseball", "ice cream", "hot dog", "outside" and "airplane". Spondaic words have equal stress on each syllable. The patient repeats words as the specialist's voice gets softer and softer. The faintest level, in decibels, at which 50% of the two-syllable words are correctly identified, is recorded as the Speech Reception Threshold (SRT). A separate SRT is determined for each ear.

Word Recognition

Tests of word recognition attempt to evaluate how well a person can distinguish words at a comfortable loudness level. It relates to how clearly one can hear single-syllable (monosyllabic) words when speech is comfortably loud. Examples of words used in this test are "come", "high", "knees", and "chew". In this test, the specialist's voice stays at the same loudness level throughout. The patient being tested repeats words and the percentage of words correctly repeated is recorded for each ear.

Thus, a score of 100% would indicate that every word was repeated correctly. A score of 0% would suggest no understanding.

Word recognition is typically measured in a quiet surrounding. For specific purposes, word recognition may also be measured in the presence of background noise that can also be delivered through the audiometer.