Hearing test at The Holly Hospital

What is a hearing test?

A hearing test, also called audiometry, checks how well you can hear and helps find out whether you have hearing loss. It's carried out by a hearing specialist called an audiologist, and there are several different tests they might use, depending on your age and what they need to find out.

Why might I need a hearing test?

You might have a hearing test if:

• you think your hearing is gradually getting worse, or you're struggling to follow conversations, or turning up the TV or phone volume
• you work in a noisy environment, such as a factory or construction site
• your child shows signs of hearing difficulty, or didn't pass their newborn hearing screening.

Regular testing is also recommended once a year if you work somewhere very noisy. Otherwise, many people don't need a hearing evaluation until their 50s or 60s, when age-related hearing loss becomes more common.

Sudden hearing loss in one or both ears needs urgent attention. Contact NHS 111 or ask for an urgent GP appointment straight away, rather than waiting for a routine hearing test, especially if you also have symptoms such as earache or discharge from your ear.

What are the benefits of a hearing test?

Finding out early if you have hearing loss means it can be treated or managed sooner, whether that's removing a wax blockage, treating an infection, or fitting a hearing aid. Untreated hearing loss can make it harder to follow conversations and take part in everyday life, so an accurate diagnosis helps you get the right support sooner.

Are there different types of hearing test?

• Pure-tone audiometry: The most common test – you wear headphones in a quiet, soundproofed room and press a button or raise your hand every time you hear a sound, at different pitches and volumes
• Speech audiometry: Similar to pure-tone testing, but you listen to and repeat words or sentences instead of tones, to check how well you understand speech
• Tympanometry: A small device is placed in your ear to check how well your eardrum moves, and whether there's a blockage affecting your hearing
• Bone conduction testing: A small device is placed behind your ear or on your forehead to send sound vibrations directly to your inner ear, bypassing your outer and middle ear
• Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) tests: Used mainly for babies and young children, or people who can't respond in the usual way, since these don't need you to actively respond.

Children may also have visual reinforcement audiometry, which links a sound to a visual reward, such as a toy lighting up, or play audiometry, where they do a simple task, such as putting a ball in a bucket, when they hear a sound.

How do I prepare for a hearing test?

• You don't usually need to do anything special to prepare – hearing tests are painless and don't need fasting or medication changes
• If you use hearing aids, you may be asked to remove them beforehand for some tests, such as an online screening check
• Try to find a quiet time and place if you're doing an online hearing check, and use headphones or earphones rather than built-in speakers for a more accurate result
• Your audiologist will want to know about your work and lifestyle, and any hearing difficulties, infections or injuries you've had, so it can help to think about this beforehand.

What happens during a hearing test?

1. Your audiologist asks about your general health, lifestyle and any hearing difficulties, and looks into your ears to check for wax or other blockages
2. You sit in a quiet, sound-treated room and put on headphones or earphones
3. A machine called an audiometer plays a series of tones at different pitches and volumes into one ear at a time
4. You press a button, raise your hand, or say ‘yes’ every time you hear a sound, even if it's very faint
5. Your responses are recorded on a graph called an audiogram, which shows the quietest sound you can hear at each pitch, for each ear
6. You may also have a speech test, where you repeat words spoken at different volumes, or other tests, such as tympanometry, depending on what your audiologist needs to check.

The whole appointment often lasts between 30 minutes and an hour, though the hearing test itself is usually much shorter, often around 15 to 30 minutes.

What happens after a hearing test?

Your audiologist will usually have your results straight away and go through them with you at the end of the appointment.

Your results are shown on an audiogram, a graph that plots the quietest sounds you can hear at different pitches. Volume is measured in decibels (dB) and pitch in hertz (Hz).

If you have hearing loss, your audiologist will explain the type and degree, described using terms such as mild, moderate, severe or profound, based on your results.

Some people find these results surprising, since they don't always match how well they feel they can hear day to day, which is a common reaction.

Your audiologist will talk you through the best way to manage your hearing loss, such as hearing aids, and explain the next steps if you decide to go ahead. If a cause such as earwax or an infection is found, you may be referred on for treatment. Occasionally you might be referred to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist.

What are the risks of a hearing test?

A hearing test is a painless, non-invasive procedure – it doesn't involve any needles, dyes or exposure to radiation.

If you have an ear impression taken for a custom hearing aid or earmould, this involves a putty-like material being placed in your ear for a couple of minutes, which is also painless.