Evaluations
What we learn from your evaluation:
Type of Hearing Loss
Some causes of hearing loss are medically treatable. A comprehensive evaluation, conducted by an experienced hearing professional, can determine if a client needs to be referred to a doctor for medical evaluation and possible treatment.
Hearing Instrument Specifications
The degree and shape of hearing loss varies greatly from person to person. Similar to vision test results that indicate the best correction for your glasses or contacts, accurate hearing test results are crucial in determining the best hearing aid fitting.
Washington state regulations require that a hearing evaluation be completed within six months prior to dispensing of hearing aids.
Taking a History
We talk with a patient about his hearing loss, to determine possible causes, and how it affects his communication.
Otoscopic Inspection
We inspect the patient’s ears for earwax or debris, and to determine the size and shape of the ear canals. If there is earwax (cerumen), we can often remove it. The hearing professional can also screen for medical conditions such as middle ear or outer ear infections.
We conduct hearing evaluations in a double-wall sound booth that is recessed so that it is level to the floor for easy entry. The booth is quite comfortable and spacious, but for the occasional patient who is uneasy, we can ask a family member to stay or leave the door open.
For hearing evaluations at our office, we use soft, comfortable, foam ear inserts rather than the typical headphones that sit on the outer ear. Insert phones are now the recommended component for evaluating hearing because the results are more accurate than those with headphones. During this test, we will be:
- Measuring hearing sensitivity in each ear to a range of frequencies (pitches) of tones. These include the sounds that are most important for hearing and understanding conversation.
- Evaluating how accurately a patient recognizes words.
- Measuring hearing sensitivity by bone conduction for several frequencies of tones.
- Exploring the most comfortable loudness levels and how loud sounds can get before they become uncomfortable.
When this evaluation is complete, we urge the patient to invite a family member or friend to sit in while we discuss the results and recommendations. Another perspective is helpful, and the friend or family member may have questions the patient doesn’t think to ask.
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Andria Reid-Caro, Eileen Freed,