There are few stages which an individual goes through during hearing testing at a typical clinic. There are two main hearing tests that healthcare specialists conduct on people in order to detect or judge the level of their hearing loss. Hearing testing in Toronto follows a similar procedure as described below.
Stages of hearing test
- Visiting an otolaryngologist: An otolaryngologist is trained in treating patients with Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) diseases. He is the one who finds the cause behind a hearing problem and recommends treatment options on the basis of a medical examination. He will ask you a number of things such as your medical history, whether your family members ever had the hearing problem, etc. He will also prescribe tests, if needed, for further examination of the problem.
- Visiting an audiologist: An audiologist is a health practitioner who detects and measures the extent of hearing loss. He makes use of diagnostic hearing examinations such as hearing tests, otoacoustic emission measurement, video- nystagmography and electrophysiologic tests to understand the nature of the hearing disability. He is specialized to treat, manage and diagnose all kind of hearing difficulties.
- Hearing aid: After critically analyzing and inspecting the problem, an audiologist arrives on a conclusion to give treatment. There are many kinds of treatments available and some of them include surgeries and hearing aids. It is common for physicians to recommend the use of hearing aid in case of hearing loss. A hearing aid is an electronic, battery operated device that helps the wearer to listen to the sound higher than their abilities to listen. There are hearing aids that can fit inside the outer ear, while there are others that are placed behind the ear.
Types of hearing tests
- Audiometric test: This test involves testing the patient’s hearing ability using a series of high and low frequency words. This is done to judge whether he/she can listen to someone speaking from a certain distance. A patient is asked to repeat several words. As a result, the percentage of hearing loss is determined.
- Tympanometry: It is a test used to determine the condition of middle ear and mobility of eardrum and conduction bones. This test is conducted by producing a variation of air pressure in an ear canal.
