What Are The Three Types Of Hearing Loss Tests?

If you have hearing loss, you may wonder what kinds of tests you will need to have. Can these tests determine the severity of your hearing loss? There are three types of hearing tests. The ones you have will depend on your health and what type of hearing loss you may have.

Pure-Tone Testing

Pure-tone testing,  or air conduction testing, is the most common hearing loss test. During this test, you will have to put headphones on. You will then hear different beeps. You will have to state which ear you heard these beeps in to your hearing care specialist. This test will show your sensitivity to sound at different frequencies.

Bone Conduction

A bone conduction test will see if your hearing loss is sensorineural, conductive, or both. This test uses a bone vibrator headset. Targeted sounds will enter right to your inner ear. If you hear better with bone conduction, your hearing loss may stem from the outer or inner ear. But, if you hear sounds well during this test, you may have sensorineural hearing loss.

Auditory Brainstem Response

Auditory brainstem response will test your brain pathways and inner ear for damage. During this hearing test, the audiologist places electrodes on your head. Those electrodes will then connect to a computer. The computer will then record your brain activity. This helps to see how your brain responds to different sounds.

Next Steps

Once all these tests are complete, you will meet with the audiologist. The audiologist will explain the results. They will show you exactly what frequencies affect you the most. They will also help you to figure out what treatment options are available. For some people, their hearing loss is not significant enough to need any treatment at the moment. Some people may need to have surgery, or they may need to have hearing aids. The good news? The technology behind hearing aids has improved very much over the past few years.

If you do need hearing aids, you will want to find a hearing care specialist. They can explain to you the different kinds of hearing aids that are available on the market today. Some of these aids even connect to your phone. Learning all that you can will help you to hear easier. The audiologist will also have tips on how to ensure that your hearing is not at risk for further problems. You want to limit exposure to loud noises and other issues.

Call Us Today

At Chicago Beltone, we are here to help you hear better. If you have issues with your hearing, please give us a call today. We will make an appointment to get you tested to see how your ears are performing. If you need hearing aids, we can help you with that as well.