Getting Ready for Your Hearing Test

When you are having a hearing test performed it can be disheartening and scary at times, so there are several ways to prepare for your test so that you can feel more comfortable. If you feel comfortable, your test will give you more accurate results. There are some things that your doctor will need to get from you before he performs a hearing test. First, you need to let him know if you have been around loud noises that have left you with ringing ears because you should not be near them for at least 16 hours before having a test done. Then, you should make him aware of any antibiotics that you may be taking because those can sometimes harm your hearing. You should also let him know if you have recently had an ear infection. After you have discussed these things with your audiologist, he will check to make sure that the ear canals are free from anything that would impair your hearing. If your test requires you to wear headphones, you will need to take off your glasses and jewelry that could make it difficult for you to get the headphones in the right place to get the best reading. The person doing the test will press against the headphones to make sure that they are at the proper pressure against your ear. Some tests will require you to remove your hearing aid if you are wearing one. Hearing tests can be performed almost anywhere, with the most common being schools and doctor offices. There are different ways to perform these tests, depending on the supposed hearing loss. • The whispered test, where you will be asked a series of questions by the health professional that you will be asked to repeat what you heard. You will be asked the questions louder until you can hear them. Each ear will be tested one at a time. • Pure tone Audiometry, where you will listen for several different tones through headphones. The audiologist will control the volume, speed, and pitch of the sounds. The sounds will be regulated by how well you can hear it. The ears will be tested one at a time. • Tuning Fork Tests produce tones through vibrations and test how sounds are moving through the ear. • Auditory Brain Stem Response Testing tests your sensorineural hearing loss. In this method, electrodes are put on the head and ears to measure how the brain responds to the different sounds that are being produced. Because there is neither discomfort nor risk involved with a hearing test, it is a great way to help determine the extent of your hearing loss.