Our ability to hear sounds can be impaired by numerous facets of our lives. These range from congenital or genetic defects and previous or current illnesses to everyday noises and the effects of aging.
Our comprehensive hearing evaluations include a series of tests and examinations to determine the state of your hearing and identify any hearing-related issues. Our experienced audiologists will discuss your results with you and recommend personalized solutions to improve your hearing.
A hearing test is a non-invasive, risk-free and painless procedure that assesses your ability to hear a variety of sounds, frequencies and pitches. This assessment is also known as an audiometry evaluation and is performed by an audiologist. A test such as this can also be taken to gauge whether or not you might need a hearing aid or a surgical procedure to improve your hearing. It’s also beneficial in case you are having or have had surgery around your ear in order to monitor hearing before and/or after that surgery.
An audiometry evaluation often constitutes a variety of tests held in a noiseless soundproof room. Three common examples are:
This test measures the least audible sound you can possibly hear. Decibels (dB) are the unit of measurement used to assess the loudness of these sounds, while frequencies (Hz) are used to measure their tone.
Also known as a word recognition test, this determines your ability to discern speech from background noise. If the speech you are trying to hear sounds garbled then you have low speech discrimination. Scores on this particular test can determine whether or not you need a hearing aid.
This is where the actual anatomy of the ear comes into play. The purpose of a tympanometry test is to identify problems such as the buildup of wax or fluid, a perforated eardrum, tumors in the middle ear (a deeper part of the ear), and damage to the bones of the middle ear.
An audiometry evaluation determines your hearing loss (HL), which is ranked in a scale from normal to profound. Levels of hearing loss are quantified as follows:
To gauge what these figures mean in real life, know that a whisper is approximately 20 dB, while loud music can vary between 80 and 120 dB. If you can hear a whisper then your hearing loss is ranked as normal, and if you have difficulty hearing loud music then your hearing loss might range from severe to profound.
If your ability to hear sounds distinctly is dwindling then you can easily go for a hearing test. There is no preparation required beforehand. Once the audiologist has made the most precise recordings of your hearing, they will go through your results with you and submit a report of those results to your referring doctor so that they can discuss treatment options going forward.
You can schedule your evaluation with NYC Hearing Associates today and take the first step toward better hearing. Use our easy scheduling form to make an appointment.
