Why Have a Hearing Test - Is It Worth It?
As people get older it is a known fact that may well suffer from some form of hearing loss.
This is usually caused by the small bones and hair receptors in the middle ear losing some of their ability to respond to sound waves.
Many people do not realise they have any hearing loss as it has been a very gradual process over a long period.
It is more often realized by friends or relatives of the person with hearing loss who notice it first.
It will become noticeable when the sufferer keeps asking you to repeat what have just said, or needs the TV or Radio volume increased.
The sufferer will also find it difficult to hold a conversation with another person in a crowded room.
All these factors should indicate that a person has some form of hearing loss.
The first step a sufferer should take is to visit his or her G.
P to checkout what the possible causes of the hearing loss are.
It could be as simple as having wax in the ear stopping sound waves reaching the eardrum or an infection causing some swelling in the ear channel.
Both these problems can be easily cured and the hearing returned to normal.
If however this is not the problem it is more likely that it is something more permanent and cannot be put right.
If this is the case, the G.
P.
will suggest that the sufferer should take a Hearing test to find out what hearing loss you have.
A hearing test is usually carried out by an Audiologist using special equipment to test your hearing response over the complete audio range of frequencies.
When you visit the Audiologist he will sit you down in a quiet room and place a pair of headphones over your ears.
The headphones are connected to an audiometer which will send sounds to your ears at various frequencies.
He will test each ear individually as it is quite common for one ear to be different from the other.
The test will take the form of sending a sound at a particular frequency to one ear and then gradually reduce the sound until you cannot hear it any more.
This figure is then recorded and marked onto an audiogram.
This is just graph a of your hearing responses'.
He will then repeat the exercise over the full audio range of frequencies plotting your hearing response at all points.
All the results are then plotted on the audiogram.
He will then repeat the whole process with the other ear until you have complete picture of your hearing response over the whole audio range.
From the audiogram it will become quite obvious if you have any hearing loss in either ear and at what frequencies.
This type of hearing test will give a very good indication but it has a few limitations.
The test relies entirely on your responses to the sounds being fed into your ears and you telling the Audiologist when the sounds disappear.
It can also vary according to the type of equipment used and the quietness of the test area.
If a Hearing Aid is required, the best type is a Digital Hearing Aid as this can be set up to compensate for any hearing loss at any particular frequency or frequencies.
The only draw back using an Audiologist and their hearing test is that you may have to return to him to have the Hearing Aid adjusted as it is not exactly as you want it.
This could be that you use it more when in conversation and not necessarily hearing music.
Therefore there is now a big advantage in self programming Hearing Aids with the help of new equipment on the market.
These programmers allow you to test your own hearing and set up your own Hearing Aid to your own particular requirements.
It is therefore most important to have your hearing tested to know exactly what the problem is and how best to correct it.
This is usually caused by the small bones and hair receptors in the middle ear losing some of their ability to respond to sound waves.
Many people do not realise they have any hearing loss as it has been a very gradual process over a long period.
It is more often realized by friends or relatives of the person with hearing loss who notice it first.
It will become noticeable when the sufferer keeps asking you to repeat what have just said, or needs the TV or Radio volume increased.
The sufferer will also find it difficult to hold a conversation with another person in a crowded room.
All these factors should indicate that a person has some form of hearing loss.
The first step a sufferer should take is to visit his or her G.
P to checkout what the possible causes of the hearing loss are.
It could be as simple as having wax in the ear stopping sound waves reaching the eardrum or an infection causing some swelling in the ear channel.
Both these problems can be easily cured and the hearing returned to normal.
If however this is not the problem it is more likely that it is something more permanent and cannot be put right.
If this is the case, the G.
P.
will suggest that the sufferer should take a Hearing test to find out what hearing loss you have.
A hearing test is usually carried out by an Audiologist using special equipment to test your hearing response over the complete audio range of frequencies.
When you visit the Audiologist he will sit you down in a quiet room and place a pair of headphones over your ears.
The headphones are connected to an audiometer which will send sounds to your ears at various frequencies.
He will test each ear individually as it is quite common for one ear to be different from the other.
The test will take the form of sending a sound at a particular frequency to one ear and then gradually reduce the sound until you cannot hear it any more.
This figure is then recorded and marked onto an audiogram.
This is just graph a of your hearing responses'.
He will then repeat the exercise over the full audio range of frequencies plotting your hearing response at all points.
All the results are then plotted on the audiogram.
He will then repeat the whole process with the other ear until you have complete picture of your hearing response over the whole audio range.
From the audiogram it will become quite obvious if you have any hearing loss in either ear and at what frequencies.
This type of hearing test will give a very good indication but it has a few limitations.
The test relies entirely on your responses to the sounds being fed into your ears and you telling the Audiologist when the sounds disappear.
It can also vary according to the type of equipment used and the quietness of the test area.
If a Hearing Aid is required, the best type is a Digital Hearing Aid as this can be set up to compensate for any hearing loss at any particular frequency or frequencies.
The only draw back using an Audiologist and their hearing test is that you may have to return to him to have the Hearing Aid adjusted as it is not exactly as you want it.
This could be that you use it more when in conversation and not necessarily hearing music.
Therefore there is now a big advantage in self programming Hearing Aids with the help of new equipment on the market.
These programmers allow you to test your own hearing and set up your own Hearing Aid to your own particular requirements.
It is therefore most important to have your hearing tested to know exactly what the problem is and how best to correct it.
