While many of us often go for regular eye examinations, how often have you been for a hearing test? A lot of people don’t recognise when they are experiencing hearing loss, as it can happen so gradually. 1 in 6 people are affected by some sort of hearing loss in the UK, and almost half of those aged over 50.

At London Hearing Specialist, we use the best equipment to offer tailored hearing care, offering hearing consultations as well as other hearing services such as ear wax removal.

You might need a hearing test if you’ve noticed you’re struggling to hear clearly, or if you have noticed any pain within your ear. If you have other symptoms, such as earache or discharge, it might be beneficial to get in touch with your GP.

What does the hearing test consist of?

There are a number of hearing tests we can carry out to determine how good your hearing is, and what level of hearing loss you might be experiencing. Before any hearing tests, we typically use video-otoscopy to examine the ear canal and ear drums. This is a specialist video camera to ensure there are no obvious issues or obstructions before beginning any tests.

The main hearing test you will undergo is pure tone audiometry. This hearing test consists of listening to different sounds through headphones, and pressing a button when you hear something. The sounds are typically at different pitches and frequencies to test the full range of your hearing.

You may also undergo a speech discrimination test, which is similar to the above but with speech instead of sounds.

In other cases you might need a tympanometry test. This tests the middle ear function and ear drum movement. Through this test we can identify negative pressure, congestion or fluid.

Understanding your hearing test results

At London Hearing Specialist we will ensure you receive a full explanation of your hearing test results and what they mean. If necessary, we can offer recommendations for treatment or hearing aids. 

An audiogram can show you the results from a pure tone audiometry test, showing the softest sounds a person can hear at different pitches or frequencies. An audiogram helps us to determine the degree of hearing loss. 

During a pure tone audiometry test, the quietest level of sound heard at each pitch is plotted on the audiogram for the left and right ears. The closer the marks are to the top of graph, the softer the sound they can hear.

If you need hearing aids

If it turns out that you would benefit from hearing aids, the team here can help you to understand the right type of hearing aid for your needs. Some are more suitable for severe hearing loss, while others are tailored to those who have hearing problems in just one ear.

We can offer hearing aid fitting appointments to help you adjust to your hearing aids, making sure they fit properly and work according to your needs. What’s more, we can also deliver free aftercare for life with 6-monthly services to check your hearing and hearing aids.

If you’d like to check your hearing is as it should be, don’t hesitate to book your heating consultation with us today.