At Little Rock Audiology, we often begin by conducting hearing tests with new patients. You may have been referred for a diagnostic audiologic evaluation if your primary care physician noticed symptoms that could be related to hearing loss.
Hearing tests help us determine whether you have any hearing loss, what’s causing it and how severe the condition has become. The information we get from your evaluation informs the treatment our audiologists recommend.
What Tests Will Be Done?
The specific tests conducted during your audiologic evaluation will vary based on symptoms, age and medical history. That being said, at minimum, your evaluation will include pure-tone testing, bone conduction testing and speech testing.
Here’s a closer look at what those tests involve.
Pure-tone and bone conduction testing
Pure-tone testing is designed to find the quietest tones you can hear across different frequencies.
Bone conduction testing is similar to this, but the audiologist uses different equipment to receive different information. This kind of testing tells your audiologist whether your hearing is sensorineural or conductive, which can impact their treatment recommendation.
Speech testing
Speech testing is completed through a speech reception threshold test (SRT). The purpose of this test is to confirm the results that the audiologist received during pure-tone testing.
With this test, your audiologist will determine the lowest sound levels you can clearly identify with words or speech instead of tones. The results provide a more robust picture of your overall hearing health.
Additional testing
Depending on the nature of your hearing issues, additional testing may be required.
This can include an otoscopy, which is a physical examination of different parts of the ear. You may also receive tympanometry, which is a test for middle ear performance.
There are also specialized testing options for infants, young children and adults with developmental impairments. These tests allow the audiologist to receive the same depth of results without the patient’s active participation.
Dizziness and Balance Testing
If you’ve been having issues with dizziness and balance, then Little Rock Audiology can conduct dizziness and balance testing to determine the cause of the problem.
Dizziness is a general sensation of feeling off-balance. There are a number of potential causes for dizziness, one of which is an issue with the inner ear balance mechanism.
When the inner ear stops functioning correctly, the brain can receive nerve impulses that get perceived as being off balance. The bottom line is that your brain can tell you that you’re off balance even when you aren’t if you have an issue with your inner ear.
Our audiologists can conduct VNG balance evaluations to determine whether an inner ear issue is causing your dizziness, balance or vertigo issues.
Testing options include:
- Ocular mobility
- Optokinetic nystagmus
- Positional nystagmus
- Caloric testing
What to Expect During a Diagnostic Hearing Evaluation?
Hearing evaluations typically take around 30-40 minutes to complete. You will also spend some time after the testing discussing the results with your audiologist.
It’s helpful to bring a family member to your hearing evaluation, if possible. Family members will help to ensure that you understand your results completely and don’t forget to ask any important questions. Before your appointment starts, we’ll get your medical history and a full list of any medications or supplements you’ve been taking, so be sure to have this information handy.
During the hearing evaluation, we encourage you to ask questions and be yourself. Our audiologists are more than happy to address your concerns and make the experience as comfortable for you as possible.