Objective and objective hearing tests should be done by everyone who experiences deterioration of hearing, and prophylactically - everyone over 50 years of age. It is also necessary when there is a need to adjust the type of hearing aid or a different type of therapy. Read about objective and subjective hearing testing!
Hearing testsare divided intoobjective hearing tests , i.e. those whose results are obtained without the participant's participation andtest of hearing subjective , i.e. requiring the patient's cooperation.
To do these, you need a referral from your GP, to an otolaryngologist, or to an audiologist or phoniatrist. A detailed examination by a specialist will help determine the type of hearing impairment and the degree of hearing loss, as well as adjust the type of therapy.
Subjective hearing test
Even the primary care physician can do the simplest examination: standing at a distance from the patient, asks him questions, using both the usual volume of voice and whispering. The distance at which the subject is able to understand the doctor's questions gives a very general picture of his hearing ability.
Reed tests
The reed tests are performed with a tuning fork. A vibrating reed is placed against the skull of the examined person (to the mastoid process behind the ear or to the forehead and top of the skull) and to the pinna, and the patient indicates in which situation he hears the sound better.
The test allows you to initially assess bone and air conduction in both ears and conclude whether the hearing loss is conductive or sensorineural.
Tonal Audiometry
Tone audiometry allows you to assess air and bone conduction. It allows you to find out whether the cause of the hearing loss is located in the middle or inner ear, or in further parts of the auditory pathway.
They are carried out in a closed, quiet room. The patient receives earphones and a bone conduction earpiece alternately over the mastoid process.
The device called an audiometer sends sounds of different frequency and volume to the headphones, and the examined person presses the button when he hears the sound. In this way, the softest signal that the respondent can hear is determined.
Speech audiometry
Speech audiometry complements tonal audiometry - assesses not only the level of hearing, but also the understanding of words. It therefore controls the process of subjective understanding of speech.
The test is performed under the same conditions as tonal audiometry, and the test subject is to repeat the sets of monosyllabic words after the reader.
Worth knowingWho needs to have their hearing checked regularly?
After the age of 50, it is worth having your hearing tested at least once every 2 years.
Periodic hearing tests are necessary for people working in noise, at height, pilots of aircraft, sailors, employees of uniformed services (fire, police, military), swimmers and divers.
They are also necessary in people taking ototoxic drugs, i.e. drugs that worsen hearing, and in people with chronic otitis or hearing loss.
Objective hearing tests
Objective hearing testsare performed to refine the diagnosis based on subjective tests or when patient cooperation is not possible (e.g. in infants or young children).
Tympanometry (impedance audiometry)
Tympanometry (impedance audiometry) allows you to assess the condition of the middle ear and diagnose the causes of conductive hearing loss.
It measures the vibrations of the eardrum during a change in pressure in the ear canal; Additionally, the measurement of the acoustic reflex under the influence of sound and the Eustachian tube patency test (ETF) are performed.
A measuring probe is inserted into the external auditory canal, which emits a sound and at the same time allows you to measure the pressure in the ear canal, and the ear canal is sealed with a plug connected to the tympanometric apparatus by means of cables.
Changes in pressure cause deflections of the tympanic membrane recorded by the tympanometer and are visualized as graphs.
Otoacoustic Emission (OAE)
Otoacoustic Emission (OAE) is based on the registration of a very quiet acoustic signal, which is generated in the cochlea in response to sound. It is used in the screening of hearing in newborns.
The test probe is placed in the ear of the examined person, with a loudspeaker transmitting the sound and a sensitive microphone.
A short sound, emitted through a loudspeaker, in a properly functioning ear causes the reverse emission of the signal (oto-emission) from the cochlea, recorded by the microphone.
Thanks to this, it is possible to assess the condition of the cochlea and examine the reactions of the inner ear to soft sounds. Lack of feedback can be a sign of hearing damage.
Investigating Brainstem Evoked Potentials (BERA)
Brainstem evoked potentials (BERA) are based on the recording of bioelectric impulses that arise in the upper levels of the auditory pathway (ie, in the brain) in response to auditory stimuli administered to the ear. These pulses are registered by electrodes attached to the patient's scalp.
Worth knowingHow much do subjective and objective hearing tests cost?
Unfortunately, you have to wait from several weeks to several months for an appointment with a specialist and an examination reimbursed by the National He alth Fund.
Free research is offered by private foundations, it can also be done during educational campaigns on hearing disorders or as part of local campaigns financed by municipalities and medical institutions - it is worth looking for them on the Internet.
Prices for tests in private hearing treatment centers are approximately:
- tonal audiometry - 35 PLN-40 PLN
- speech audiometry - PLN 40
- otoacoustic emission - PLN 50
- tympanometry - PLN 40.