What is a hearing test?
A hearing test is carried out by an audiologist (hearing health care professional) and is used to determine your current quality and level of hearing to assess if hearing aids or treatment are necessary to improve your quality of life.
Hearing Choices has a free online hearing test which can help indicate if you have some hearing loss, however, a full hearing assessment would be required to be able to diagnose and treat any hearing loss.
Book a FREE hearing assessment at our Kings Sutton, Banbury Clinic.
What to expect during a hearing test.
A typical hearing assessment will last between 30 – 60 minutes and will include:
- A discussion about your lifestyle and work to get an understanding of the noises you will be subject to
- Talking about any difficulties you are currently and previously have faced with your hearing
- A visual examination of your ears
- Looking over your medical history to see if there are any possible causes of any hearing loss
- The hearing test itself
The hearing test will be conducted in a soundproofed room with headphones, you will be played certain tones at different levels and indicate when you can hear or not hear them so the audiologist can build a profile of your current state of hearing.
This is painless and will take around 15 minutes upon which a graph is produced called an audiogram. This outlines the quietest sounds you can hear over several different pitches.
The audiologist may need to carry out different tests alongside this depending on the type of hearing loss in question.
What if I have hearing loss, will I need hearing aids?
After completing the hearing assessment the audiologist will understand the degree of hearing loss you have which will range from:
- Normal
- Mild
- Moderate
- Severe
- Profound
Depending on the severity and cause of the hearing loss, your audiologist will recommend a range of different solutions which may be but are not limited to:
- Ear Wax Removal
- Hearing Aids
- Medical Treatment
1 in 6 of the UK population is affected by hearing loss,
If you want to book a hearing test, please contact our Kings Sutton, Banbury Hearing Clinic today.