Having your hearing tested every year is essential to your hearing health and overall well-being.
As you age, your hearing will begin to decline in each ear, but your brain will work to compensate for that loss. That can make you feel physically and mentally fatigued at the end of the day. Determining if you have hearing loss will also help protect you from dementia , Alzheimer’s and depression.
Scheduling a hearing test at Audio Help Hearing Centers is the first step toward determining whether you require hearing aids or need your current devices adjusted.
You can expect to find a devoted staff who are dedicated to addressing your needs when you make a hearing test appointment with one of our audiologists for a hearing test. Most insurance companies cover an annual hearing exam.
What to Expect During Your Hearing Test
Hearing tests are painless, non-invasive procedures. We want to ensure you’re comfortable and at ease during your appointment so you can fully understand your condition and make an educated decision. A hearing test is conducted in a soundproof booth so the audiologist can assess your hearing to determine if there is a need for an assisted hearing device.
Medical History
During the first step of the process, one of our licensed audiologists will review your medical history to determine if any factors contribute to your potential hearing loss.
That may include any history of:
- Ear infections
- Ear surgery
- Noise exposure
- Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Head and neck injuries
Your audiologist also needs a complete list of your medications as some prescription and over-the-counter drugs exacerbate hearing loss.
Q & A
Next, our audiologists will discuss the nature of your concerns and learn about your specific situation. That is an essential step in the process because it provides our audiologists with the information they need to recommend a hearing plan. Your audiologist will ask you questions regarding your hearing loss and the listening situations that require improved communication.
Common hearing test questions include:
- Do you have difficulty in certain listening environments, such as a restaurant, movie/theatre, group setting, talking on the phone or watching TV?
- Do loved ones often mention your TV is too loud?
- Do you ask others to repeat themselves or speak up during conversations?
- Do you get anxious in social settings?
- Would you feel comfortable wearing hearing aids or other assistive listening devices?
- What are your hearing health priorities? (i.e., cost, cosmetic preference)
Physical Exam and Hearing Test
Before the hearing test, our audiologists will conduct a physical examination of your ear using an otoscope to see if infection, excess earwax, or other blockages are present.
Afterward, you’ll take a pure tone hearing test in a soundproof booth. You’ll wear headphones in a quiet space and listen to a series of tones at various volumes to assess your hearing threshold.
You’ll also receive a speech hearing test, which includes a series of spoken words at different volumes. You will repeat the words back to the audiologist to help them understand how well you detect and understand speech.
Audiogram Results
Your hearing test results are displayed as a digital audiogram to identify the softest sounds and pitches you can hear. The marks on the graph indicate the severity of your hearing loss. Your hearing will be categorized as normal, slight, mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe or profound.
Hearing Aid Demonstration
After determining if you have correctable hearing loss, your doctor will recommend a device that best suits your hearing loss. They will also discuss the available hearing aid styles to address your needs. Our expert audiologists will demonstrate different hearing aids that address a variety of listening scenarios, such as noisy restaurants, watching TV, listening to music and having one-on-one conversations. We will equip you with the knowledge and confidence you need to feel in control of your hearing health to make the best decision about your condition.
Hearing Aid Brands
After identifying your ideal type of hearing aid, your audiologist will recommend a specific brand and model that will meet your hearing needs and fit your budget. Regardless of the brand or model of hearing aid, you can rely on the knowledge and experience of each Audio Help audiologist. We provide total hearing solutions that fit the patient, not the manufacturer.
The key to improved hearing is the audiologists’ work and investigation. Hearing aids are the vehicle for translating the audiologist’s findings to your ears, so we do not focus on any specific hearing aid brand. Instead, we strive to meet our patients’ requirements with different brands and styles of hearing technology.
Hearing Tests in NYC, Scarsdale, and Stamford
A hearing evaluation is a crucial step in maintaining healthy hearing and discovering if you have any auditory problems. If you’re looking for a “hearing test near me,” Audio Help Hearing Centers has you covered with our five convenient locations. Our audiologists are ready to address your needs and find the hearing solution that’s right for you. Visit our frequently asked questions for additional information on general and hearing aid questions.