What to Expect at the Audiologist

Hearing loss is something that affects around 20% of the population of the United States at some point in their lives. Although commonly associated with the elderly, hearing loss is something that anyone of any age may experience. But hearing loss is something that can be managed, and with the right help, you will not need to find any inconvenience to your life. 

If you have found that it is often difficult to hear what people are saying and you are continually asking them to repeat themselves, then you may well have hearing loss. In large groups of people or in busy public places, if you have problems in separating words that people around you are saying, from the loud background noises, then this too may be a sign of hearing loss. If you have trouble talking with people on the phone because the conversation seems muffled, you may have issues with your ability to hear.

If you have one or more of these signs, then you should look at having a hearing test with an audiologist. 

Your appointment with the audiologist

When you arrive at the hearing and balance center for your hearing test, you will first have a conversation with the audiologist. They will want to get to know a little bit about you and your lifestyle. They may have several questions to ask you about your general health and wellbeing too. All of this is relevant information which they will use to learn more about your hearing loss. 

Often there is an underlying cause behind hearing loss, and conversations such as this will help the audiologist to learn about these. This can help when it comes to deciding what course of action should be taken to help you and your hearing loss. 

The next stage of the appointment will involve the audiologist performing a visual check of your ear canal and eardrum. Here they will be looking for signs of damage to your eardrum, as well as any signs of infection, a build-up of wax, or any foreign bodies. There may be some general ear health issues that are affecting your hearing, such as an infection of a blockage. Removing these may help you to regain lost hearing.

After the audiologist has taken some time to get to know about you and your overall health and have checked inside your ear canal, they will then turn their attention to the hearing assessment. This will be a short hearing test that will give the audiologist a clearer understanding of the range of your hearing loss. 

The test will involve you wearing headphones and listening to a series of sounds. As you hear each sound, you will need to indicate it to the audiologist. The results of this test will provide insight into the full scope of your hearing loss. 

Depending on your circumstances, there may be other tests that your audiologist will perform. This will be to allow them to get a more in-depth picture of your hearing loss and the causes behind it.

Live speech mapping is a very modern technique that your audiologist may also use. This includes the use of very small microphones placed inside your ear canal to show the differences in how you are hearing. The information used in this test could be helpful to the audiologist in helping you to find your perfectly fitted hearing aid. 

Following your assessment

Once your audiologist has gathered your general health information and conducted the hearing tests, they will go over the results. If your results indicate hearing loss is present, they will typically talk to you about the different hearing aids available for your specific needs.

The recommendations of the audiologist will be based on your specific needs, and they will be able to assist you with the right hearing aid for your requirements. And then, if you decide to go ahead and get that hearing aid, they will be able to provide you with information about fitting it and getting the best use out of it. 

Having the right hearing aid for you is essential, as using something that is not fitted or suitable could cause you discomfort and not work well. An audiologist has the experience and understanding to help you to get the right hearing aid for your needs. 

If you would like to learn more, get in touch with Tops Hearing & Balance Center, call today at 281-920-3911.