How to test for hearing loss.

Professional Hearing Tests (at a clinic or audiologist's office)

If you begin to notice symptoms of hearing loss (or worse, others are noticing your symptoms)

here is the simple process of how hearing testing is performed.

1. Pure Tone Audiometry

   • You wear headphones in a sound treated booth.

   • You’ll listen for tones at different pitches and volumes.

   • You press a button or raise your hand when you hear a sound, even if it’s very faint.

   • Results are shown on an graph called an audiogram to identify the quietest sounds you can hear at each frequency or pitch.

   • This procedure helps identify whether hearing levels are in a normal hearing range, or if there is hearing loss it determines the degree and type of hearing loss.

2. Speech Audiometry

   • Measures how well you hear (detect) and understand (discriminate) speech at different volumes.

   • Includes:

     • Speech recognition threshold (SRT)

     • Word recognition score (WRS)

3. Tympanometry

   • Tests middle ear function (e.g., eardrum movement).

   • It can detect fluid behind the eardrum caused by allergies, ear infections, or eustachian tube issues.

4. Acoustic Reflex Threshold

   • This reflex occurs when a tiny muscle in the middle ear called the stapedius muscle contracts to reduce acoustic vibrations and protect the inner ear.

   • The test measures the lowest volume level of sound that triggers this reflex.

     • It helps determine whether the middle ear, auditory nerve, and parts of the brainstem involved in hearing are functioning properly.