What Will You Learn at Your Hearing Test?

If you have booked a hearing test, or you’re thinking of doing so because you think you need some help with your hearing, then you will need to prepare for that test. One way to do this is to understand what to expect when you have a hearing assessment carried out by an audiologist and what you hope to learn from the appointment. If you know in advance what knowledge you should be leaving the appointment with, then you’ll know what questions to ask if that information is not forthcoming. Read on to find out more about what you should learn during your hearing test. 

Whether You Have Hearing Loss

The first, and potentially most important, thing you’ll learn at your hearing test is whether you have hearing loss or not. This is the main reason for taking a hearing assessment and getting this result will impact every decision you need to make going forward. If, for example, you don’t have hearing loss, you won’t need to do anything more. If you do have hearing loss, then you will need to discuss the different options open to you to help you hear better – hearing aids might be part of that solution. 

The Type and Severity of Hearing Loss 

If your audiologist determines that you are experiencing hearing loss, they will also determine what type of hearing loss it is and how severe it is. Every patient is unique, but there are four main stages of hearing loss that everyone will fall into. These are: mild, moderate, severe and profound.

Depending on which stage your hearing test has found you are experiencing, your next step will be different. When you understand precisely what kind of hearing loss you have, you can make informed decisions about your hearing healthcare and your overall healthcare since some hearing loss is a symptom of other conditions. 

Whether You Experience Other Conditions 

Although some hearing loss is permanent, some hearing loss will develop through a build-up of earwax, as a side effect of taking some medications and from infections. You will learn if any of these conditions – or any others that we haven’t mentioned – are the reason for your hearing loss. If they are, your audiologist will give you the information you need to fix these issues and repair your hearing, if possible. 

How to Treat Your Conditions 

Understanding your conditions is essential, especially if you hadn’t realized you were experiencing them. However, it’s just as important to know how to treat these conditions. If your hearing loss relates to any condition, we’ve mentioned above, this will require one course of action. If it relates to something else, such as permanent ear damage or a hereditary condition, the treatment will be different. It might include hearing aids. 

How to Protect Your Ears 

It’s crucial to treat the conditions, as far as possible, that are causing you to experience hearing loss, but you should also learn how to protect your ears so that additional damage is not done and your ears are taken care of long-term. Your audiologist can talk about the different ways you can protect your ears, and they will speak specifically about anything that relates to your life – if you work in a noisy environment, then the audiologist will teach ways to use ear defenders or earplugs.