Types of Hearing Tests

A variety of tests* can be done to identify and diagnose hearing loss. The method used depends in part on the age of the individual along with other factors based on specific needs. If you’ve had your hearing checked at an audiologist’s office, you’ve probably received more than one type of test. Here are some of the main types of hearing tests, what they measure and what you can expect if you’re getting one.

Standard Hearing Screening, also known as Pure-Tone Testing – This hearing test determines the faintest tones a person can hear at selected pitches, or frequencies, from low to high. During this test, earplugs or earphones are worn, so that information can be obtained for each ear. The person taking the test will then be asked to respond when they hear a sound. The audiologist may have you respond to the sound in a variety of ways, such as raising a finger or hand, pressing a button, or saying “yes” to indicate that a sound was heard. The sounds played are at different pitches and levels. The results will be recorded on an audiogram.

Speech Testing – This is an aspect of the standard exam where speech discrimination or word recognition is tested. This helps confirm the pure-tone test results and it helps audiologists assess how well a hearing aid can help. The test involves word recognition and repeating words at a comfortable loudness level. It’s also recorded on the audiogram.

Middle Ear Testing – This provides information on how the middle ear is functioning. These measurements include tympanometry (putting air pressure into the ear canal to measure the mobility of the eardrum). This test helps detect fluid, perforation of the eardrum or a wax blockage.

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) Testing – This test measures how long it takes sound to get from your ear to the processing areas in your brain. This can reveal if the pathways between the brain and the inner ear are working correctly. An ABR test is performed by placing small electrodes on the head and recording brain wave activity in response to sound. The person being tested is either quietly resting or asleep. A computer averages the information for the audiologist to interpret.

Otoacoustic Emissions Testing – Otoacoustic Emissions (OAEs) are sounds given off by the inner ear when the cochlea is stimulated by a sound. When sound stimulates the cochlea, the outer hair cells vibrate. The vibration produces a nearly inaudible sound that echoes back into the outer ear. This sound can be measured by a small probe inserted in the ear canal.

If you believe you suffer from hearing loss, there are multiple tests that can help you find out and get you on the track to better hearing and better health! Please call Evolution Hearing in Charlottesville, VA at 434-260-8007 or at our Raleigh, NC location at 919-670-3258 today to see how we can help.

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How to keep your family safe with hearing issue?

Hearing impairment can cause serious problem if it is not taken care of at the earliest. It could create serious problems for you and your family’s safety. It could be in danger. Imagine you and your little toddler are going for a walk and a car comes crashing to you with honking noise but you still can’t hear it, you could become a victim of an accident. Thus, here are the following things to take care of, if you have hearing impairment:

1. Create visual cues:

There are some alarm systems that create visual and auditory alerts both. If you cannot hear that is okay, but if you can see the danger, you can definitely do something about it. The flashing lights would alert me you to visitors, even if you could not hear them approach.

2. Rely on companions, neighbors:

Do notify the person you are living with and the neighbors about your problem. They will assist you when you are in need. If they will know about your problem, they will take immediate actions on that. When you cannot hear, relying on someone becomes a necessary option, and that does not mean you have to depend on them completely.

3. Use security system:

It is not necessary that you arm your house alarm all the time. You can also arm when you are in actual need of that. But do use it if your hearing issue is getting worse. Also, keep the house locked and armed when in need or even if not.

4. Adopt a dog:

Like blind people have pets to guide them with the danger, you could also adopt a dog. The dog will be your best companion and be loyal to you for life. It is one of the viable options when you are in traffic or place full of crowd.

5. Build a support network:

When you meet people with the same disability as you have, it could create a sense of relief in you. You could also get solution to your different problems and you will be able to ask for the solution without any hesitation. Partner with neighbors to alert one another to anything unusual in the area. We should all take the time to do this, hearing loss or not.

6. Have a backup plan:

Discuss with your family about the safe place of your houses. When there is a danger in or nearby your house, where should you hide? Also, keep some signatures to alert them when anyone of you is in danger. Keep yourself and your family safe when needed.

7. Use hearing aids:

The best and affordable option is to use hearing aids. The hearing aids will assist you to hear the sounds immediately without any delay and you will be able to save your family in the time of need.

Now, you know what you have to do when you are in danger of hearing impairment. To have a disability is not an issue but to make it a weakness is an issue. Resolve that issue immediately with Evolution Hearing.

What is an Audiologist?

An audiologist specializes in identifying, diagnosing, treating and monitoring disorders of the auditory and vestibular systems of the ear. They are healthcare professionals dedicated to the diagnosis and rehabilitation of hearing loss.

Audiologists have extensive training and skills in evaluating the hearing of adults, infants and children of all ages. They conduct a variety of tests to determine the exact nature of an individual’s hearing problem and present an array of treatment options to patients with hearing impairment. Audiologists use specialized equipment in sound-treated rooms to obtain accurate hearing loss results.

Some of the main things an audiologist can do for you include:

• Perform comprehensive diagnostic hearing tests
• Remove earwax if necessary
• Dispense and fit hearing aids
• Test your balance to evaluate dizziness
• Provide hearing-rehabilitation training
• Check for medically related hearing problems
• Refer patients when hearing problem needs medical or surgical evaluation

Audiologists can also provide:

• Hearing services and counseling
• Hearing aids and assistive listening devices
• Hearing conservation programs
• Hearing research

If you suspect you’re suffering from hearing loss, seeing an audiologist should be your first move. Please call us at our Charlottesville, VA at 434-260-8007 or at our Raleigh, NC location at 919-670-3258 today to see how we can help.

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Hearing Aid Fact from Fiction

Hearing and sight are arguably our two most important senses. Unfortunately, both of these senses start to fail us as we age. But we tend to react to each quite differently. People don’t have a problem treating their failed eyesight – just think about all of the people you know who wear glasses and contacts, or have even had Lasik surgery. When it comes to treating hearing loss, however, people aren’t in as much of a hurry, if it ever gets treated at all.

So what’s keeping us from treating hearing loss? The immediate impact of each impairment has something to do with it. You can’t drive, read or watch TV with impaired vision, but you can cope with hearing issues, at least temporarily. While the immediate impact of compromised hearing may seem fairly harmless, the long-term effect on quality of life is real and can be severe.

The Perception of Hearing Aids

There are perceptions of hearing loss and hearing aids that just aren’t true. Advancements in science and technology have debunked a lot of the myths associated with hearing loss. Here are five of the most common hearing loss related myths.

Myth #1: There’s no treatment for hearing loss.

Fact: Hearing loss could be irreversible, and even if it isn’t, it can be helped. Hearing aids are the most recommended and effective treatment for hearing loss. Custom programmed by a trained professional, today’s hearing aids can help people with even severe hearing loss hear, thus improving their overall quality of life.

Myth #2: Your doctor will tell you if you need hearing aids.

Fact: Most general practitioners don’t have time to test for hearing loss. According to The Better Hearing Institute, as of 2017 only 23% of adults reported having their hearing screened during a physical exam.

Myth #3: Hearing aids are hard to use.

Fact: Hearing aids have come along way in just the past few years. Advancements in processing speeds and hearing science enable hearing aids to distinguish speech from noise, detect sound direction and adjust to specific environments automatically. Your hearing aids can be worn all day with little attention if they’ve been fitted and programmed by a hearing professional.

Myth #4: Hearing aids will make you stand out.

Fact: Today’s hearing aids are much more discreet than in the past. There are even types that can fit deep into your ear canal, making them invisible to others.

Myth #5: Hearing aids aren’t worth the trouble.

Fact: Hearing loss can have a significant negative impact on your quality of life. According to a study done by The National Council on the Aging (NCOA), untreated hearing loss has serious emotional and social consequences for seniors.

If you suffer from hearing loss, don’t let myths keep you from living your best life. Please call Evolution Hearing in Charlottesville, VA at 434-260-8007 or our Raleigh, NC location at 919-670-3258 today to see how we can help.

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How to survive the hearing loss? Few tips by Raleigh audiologist to survive ear impairment…

Chris Burke once said, “It’s not our disability, it’s our ability that counts.” So, there is nothing in the world that cannot be done by disabled people. They are in-fact the people who live life to the fullest. One such ability is hearing impairment. The hearing disability is not a weakness; however, to make it your strength, remember these few tips by Audiologists of Virginia:

1. Ask for, and give ASSISTANCE:
If you are at the place where you are having trouble hearing or listening to what the other party or speaker is speaking, you may ask for the assistance. Similarly, if you encounter someone who is in need of assistance, do not back down to help them.

2. Join disables community as also get associated with other NGOs:
If you be with the people who are suffering the same issue, then you will be more comfortable. This way you can discuss your ideas, your problems and can get the best solution possible for it. It is said that like-minded people often have suffered the same situation. Thus, joining community could benefit you.

3. Technology is always there to help you; all you have to do is to ask for help:
There is no place left where technology isn’t being a helping hand. All you have to do is to ask for the help. Contact Hearing Loss Doctor of Virginia or ask for Audiologist in North Carolina. The doctors will help you with the perfect hearing aid or assistive listening devices suiting your requirement and match your standard of living.

4. Use it as your brownie power:
It is said that if God is taking away something, he will compensate it with some other thing. So, if your listening abilities are being taken away, you will either be able to read lips or follow the body language to understand what is spoken and you will be better than the rest.

So, just enhance and embrace what abilities you have rather than focusing on what disability you have. As Martina Navratilova said, “Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do one thing well, you are needed by someone.”

What is high-frequency hearing loss?

Hearing loss varies by degree and type, but high-frequency hearing loss is one of the most common. Hearing professionals define high-frequency hearing loss as hearing loss that occurs between 2000 Hertz (Hz) and 8000 Hertz. Decreased hearing in this range is often the first sign of hearing loss.

After you get a hearing test, your hearing professional will explain your test results using an audiogram. An audiogram is a graph that shows how well you hear at each frequency, which is important for speech understanding. The audiogram will show hearing within the range of normal, from 250 Hz to 1500 Hz, with results falling outside of the normal hearing range around 2000 Hz.

Difficulty understanding speech

High-frequency hearing loss makes it challenging to understand speech in noise, and the voices of women and children, which are often higher in pitch than men. It can also be difficult to hear sounds like birds chirping, the doorbell ringing or voices over the telephone.

Frictive sounds like S, H and F are high in pitch, which is why high frequencies help with speech understanding. Tiny hair cells inside the cochlea process incoming sounds. High-frequency sounds are processed at the base of the cochlea, while low-frequency sounds are processed near the top. The hair cells at the base are more susceptible to damage, which is why hearing loss often affects high frequencies before low frequencies.

Noise, age, medications, and disease are all factors that can damage hair cells. Age-related hearing loss and noise induced hearing loss often affect the high frequencies first.

How hearing aids can help

Hearing aids are an effective treatment for high-frequency hearing loss. There are many different options available to help correct your hearing, such as open fit hearing aids and custom hearing aids with large vents that will maximize normal hearing in the low and mid-frequency ranges and amplify the high-frequency hearing affected by hearing loss. For more information, call Evolution Hearing in Charlottesville, VA at 434-260-8007 or our Raleigh, NC location at 919-670-3258, so we can help improve your quality of life.

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Can treating hearing loss help prevent dementia?

A study conducted by The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention and Care noted that 50 million people have dementia worldwide – and that number is expected to triple by 2050. The need for dementia prevention and management is urgent, as dementia not only affects the person who has it, but it also impacts their family and friends.

The nine lifestyle factors

The Lancet Commission’s 24 international experts concluded that one in three cases of dementia could be prevented if people managed nine lifestyle factors – one of which is managing hearing loss during midlife (between age 40-65). The other eight include:

• Increased childhood education
• Regular exercise
• Maintaining social engagements
• Reducing or stopping smoking
• Managing depression
• Managing diabetes
• Managing hypertension
• Avoid obesity

Dementia typically doesn’t manifest itself with symptoms until age 65+, but the study’s authors say it likely begins between ages 40-65. If people can manage the above nine modifiable risk factors early on in life, it could great contribute to preventing or delaying dementia.

Dementia and hearing loss

Science isn’t yet certain why unmanaged hearing loss can increase the risk for dementia. But it has confirmed that hearing loss strains your brain, leading to social isolation and depression, and it accelerates brain atrophy.

Hearing loss is something you can manage with the help of hearing professionals. If you think you have hearing loss, take control and call Evolution Hearing in Charlottesville, VA at 434-260-8007 or our Raleigh, NC location at 919-670-3258 so we can help improve your quality of life.

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