Hearing Aid Expert Explains Pure-Tone Testing

Many people live with undetected hearing loss. Undiagnosed hearing loss can harm one's health, generating secondary and tertiary difficulties such as depression, loneliness and regression. Those who feel they have hearing loss should consult an audiologist and have their hearing tested, says an expert of an ear machine clinic in Kolkata.

What is pure-tone testing?

Pure-tone testing is an air conduction test that assesses the faintest tones a person can hear at different pitches or frequencies. The audiologist will choose pitches ranging from low to high for the patient to hear. During the test, the patient wears earphones to capture data with each ear. If earphones cannot be used, such as if the audiologist is doing the pure-tone test on a child who refuses to wear them, the sound will be played through speakers inside a sound booth. This sort of pure-tone testing is known as sound-field screening and it does not test each ear separately, says the expert of hearing aids in Kolkata.

The patient will be asked to reply to the sounds by raising a hand, hitting a button, or saying 'yes' when heard during the pure-tone test.

Sometimes a unique variation of pure-tone testing is required. Pure-tone bone conduction testing is commonly done when earwax or fluid blocks the outer or middle ears. During this test, the sound will bypass the obstruction via vibration. Vibrations will carry the signal directly to the inner ear. The reaction of the inner ear will be measured through pure-tone bone testing. The parameters are broad enough to allow an audiologist to assess a person's hearing loss type, says the expert of hearing aid fitting in Kolkata.

Each of these tests has a different purpose in providing an audiologist with the information needed to evaluate a person's hearing loss type and severity.

Consult an audiologist

If you feel you have hearing loss, make an appointment with your audiologist. The audiologist will obtain vital background information about your health, including a list of medications you are taking and any symptoms you believe are related to your potential hearing loss. They will undertake a physical examination of the ear and hearing tests. They would also gladly answer any questions that you have about the testing or treatment process, says the expert of hearing aids in Kolkata.