Have you noticed signs of hearing loss in yourself at home or work? If so, we recommend you schedule a consultation with our Doctor of Audiology, Dr. Meg Kalady. During your consultation, she will perform a comprehensive hearing examination to determine your current hearing abilities. Hearing testing is conducted in a noise-controlled sound booth, and is completely non-invasive and painless. The following article describes the different components of a comprehensive hearing test.
Pure tone audiometry is one type of hearing test that determines the presence of a hearing loss. You will be seated in a sound-proof sound booth and will be asked to put on headphones. During this test, your audiologist will play a series of tones at different pitches and you will be asked to indicate each time you hear the tone. This test usually takes 20 minutes.
The speech audiometry test consists of two parts and will indicate to your audiologist your speech recognition abilities – your ability to hear words and how clearly you are able to understand words.
In the first part of the speech audiometry test, your audiologist will say words are different volumes and ask you to repeat them. This determines your Speech Reception Threshold – the volume at which you were able to hear and repeat words.
In the second part of the test, you will hear a series of words and will be asked to repeat these. This test helps to determine your speech recognition ability (without the element of volume).
Tympanometry assess the function of your eardrum, your middle ear function, and your Eustachian tube function. It will determine the pressure of your middle ear and tube that connects from your middle ear to your throat. This test could indicate whether there is fluid in this part of your ear, which could affect your hearing. An accumulation of inner ear fluid could indicate the existence of other issues, such as Meniere’s disease.
The results of your hearing evaluation appear in an audiogram, a visual representation of your hearing abilities. The audiogram records your hearing abilities by ear, as indicated from the tests, as well as the configuration of hearing loss if it is present.
The audiogram, as well as a conversation with Dr. Kalady about your lifestyle and hearing needs, will help to determine whether a hearing loss is present. If there is hearing loss, Dr. Kalady will work with you to determine next steps.
If your hearing evaluation reveals a hearing loss is present, the next step is a hearing aid evaluation. Hearing aids are the most common treatment prescribed to address hearing loss. At Kalady Audiology, we offer a wide range of hearing aids and accessories from all of the leading manufacturers. As an independently owned practice, we have the flexibility to fit patients with the best model for their unique situation - without any pressure to fit you with just 1 or 2 brands like big box stores.
If you are experiencing signs of hearing loss, contact our friendly practice today and get started on your path to better hearing with Dr. Kalady.
Dr. Meg Kalady is from the Philadelphia suburbs and has been practicing audiology for the last 30 years. She completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, and she received her doctorate in audiology in 2012 from AT Still University.
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While our focus is on finding solutions, we want you to enjoy the time we are spending together. We’re not all business, all the time. We want to make you feel as comfortable as possible and want to know more about you than just the numbers on your audiogram. If you feel you are having a problem, let us be part of the solution.
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