Hearing Evaluations
If you’ve noticed that sounds seem a little softer than normal lately or you have a hard time hearing what others are saying, you might be experiencing hearing loss. In order to develop an accurate diagnosis and create a treatment plan that’s suitable for your needs, you’ll first need a hearing evaluation. While it might seem intimidating, the evaluations at Advanced Audiology Institute are painless and easy.
During your first visit, our friendly front office staff will ask you to complete several forms, including your medical history and personal information. We’ll verify your insurance and will provide you with a copy of our Notice of Privacy, a legal requirement.
Your exam will begin with a thorough review of your medical history as your audiologist uncovers the areas where you have difficulty hearing. You’ll be asked about any current symptoms and we’ll discuss your general lifestyle and any specific needs you might have.
The physical examination of your ear comes next using an otoscope, a tool that’s used to inspect the inside of your ear for any blockages that might obstruct your ear canal and impact your hearing.
Your hearing will then be assessed with a complete series of audiometric tests. You’ll be wearing a special set of earphones and will be asked to signal when you can hear the various sounds our tests emit. We will test your ability to hear across a broad range of frequencies and volumes, and you will also be asked to repeat words that you hear to help determine if any pitches and tones of speech are not being heard. This will determine the level at which you can not only detect, but understand speech. Your audiologist may also conduct a speech in noise test, which will explore how well you hear sentences in a noisy environment.
After we complete our testing, we’ll review your results with you in the form of an audiogram. It visually represents the areas in which your hearing could use additional help, and will provide the basis of our recommendations for hearing solutions.
