In most cases, it has been observed that a person lost his sense of hearing in a gradual manner. The problem of instant hearing loss is limited to situations like meeting with an unfortunate accident or shock to the nerves catering to the ear region. While the latter would definitely make people consult with a doctor immediately,in the case of gradual hearing loss, they tend to delay their visit to the physician until it is too late. It is a must that you see an ear specialist as soon as you face difficulty with your hearing abilities to reduce further damages. Lucky are those who go for hearing testing in St. Catharines as this place hosts reputed hearing clinics. These tests determine the extent of hearing loss a person is suffering from and how to cater to the same.
The testing process starts with the care professional asking some important questions pertaining to your hearing experiences and abilities. They may ask for family history as well to know whether somebody else in your family has had similar issues or not. You would also be asked about subjecting your ear to loud noise or similar incidents and do you hear better in one ear than the other.
Initiation of the Examination Process
The hearing care expert would start by examining your ear with a special instrument known as anotoscope. This examination would determine the region of the problem which can either be the eardrum or the ear canal. The physical examination is followed by a hearing ability test, which takes place either in a soundproof room or in a room with zero background noise.
Pure Tone Test
This test needs you to hear a number of various pure tones using soundproof headphones to determine your range of hearing ability.
Bone Conduction Test
Your ability of hearing is further tested with bone conduction test where you are subject to listen to pure tones with a bone conductor resting behind your ear. This test reveals if your hearing trouble lies in the middle ear cavity.
Speech Test
This is another important test. It helps the doctor estimate your ability to comprehend speech, whether there is a problem with the auditory nerve that sends signals to the brain from the ear or there is a problem in understanding sound and speech in the brain itself.
Tympanometry
This is the last test in this series. This ear examination determines the eardrum’s mobility and the middle ear’s condition.
Audiogram
An audiogram lists the results of all the tests conducted on your ear. This shows the extent of your hearing loss and if hearing aids can benefit you.
The whole process of hearing testing in St. Catharines may seem a little lengthy but it is the best way to determine the hearing issue you are going through. Hence, you ought to get these tests done without further delays.
