Before conducting a hearing test, your hearing healthcare professional will inspect your ear to rule out wax as a contributing factor to your hearing difficulty. It is important that excessive wax or debris be removed before proceeding with your hearing test.
There are generally at least two components to a hearing test. The first component, Pure-tone Audiometry, evaluates your ability to hear tones of various pitches. A second component, Speech Audiometry, assesses your ability to understand words. The outcome of each of these tests will guide your hearing healthcare professional in determining the severity of your hearing loss and selecting appropriate hearing aids to remediate your hearing loss.
In some cases, additional audiologic testing may be conducted or you may be referred to an Ear Nose and Throat physician to rule-out any medical conditions that may require treatment. Your hearing healthcare professional is trained to determine when such referrals are needed.