Hyperacusis Test

Hyperacusis is a low tolerance for sound in either one or both ears. It’s also known as increased sensitivity to sound.

The condition affects how you perceive loudness. It makes ordinary things, such as car engines, seem extremely loud. In patients with the condition, even their own voices might seem too loud at times.

The perception of loudness may cause pain and irritation. It may result in high levels of stress and make it difficult for patients to be in public settings like work or school. Ultimately, the condition can lead to:

• Social withdrawal
• Isolation
• Fear of loud noises
• Depression

Hyperacusis is common in people with tinnitus, especially males and older people. If you suspect you have hyperacusis, we offer a test to diagnose the condition.

What Is a Hyperacusis Test?

A hyperacusis test is a series of tests conducted to determine the sensitivity of noise in the ear. The test helps to rule out other hearing disorders, such as hearing loss or tinnitus. The test conducted may also check for these conditions.

The test takes about 2 hours. Our qualified audiologists will evaluate the test. For preparation, you should bring along any pertinent medical history information you may have to facilitate the findings of the test.

If it’s your first time taking a hyperacusis test or even your audiologist test, it is normal to feel nervous. Knowing what to expect during those tests can help keep you calm and prepared for the test. The hyperacusis test will follow several steps:

Hearing Health History

The first step is to understand and find out about your medical history to help understand the cause of hyperacusis. The condition can be caused by injuries such as head injuries, viral infections, jaw or face surgery, and even some medications, like cancer drugs.

Your medical history allows us to evaluate whether any treatments or previous hospital visits might be responsible for the symptoms you are experiencing.

During the health history, we may also enquire whether you have experienced any recent trauma to the head or ears. Any injury to these areas may cause temporary or permanent hearing damage.

Ear Examination

After evaluating the medical history, the ear examination will begin. The audiologist will use a tool called an otoscope to examine the auditory canal. The otoscope will check for obstructions, such as impacted ear wax, which can also cause hyperacusis. Certain types of hearing loss can result in problems with sound travelling from the outside to the middle ear, causing various symptoms.

Hearing Tests

We will also conduct other tests after the otoscope. These include the following:

Pure Tone Test

A pure tone audiometry test is a type of test used to evaluate your hearing capabilities. The test is also conducted by an audiologist.

For this test, we use an audiometer. It is a device that produces pure tone sounds at specific frequencies. These tones are delivered through earphones or bone conduction devices. The patient signals when they can hear the sound. The softest sound level detected is recorded.

The threshold data is then plotted on an audiogram. This graphical representation of the test results helps to determine the type and degree of hearing loss. The graph also shows the person’s hearing sensitivity across various frequencies.

Speech Audiometry Test

A speech audiometry test is also carried out as part of the hyperacusis test. This is a type of hearing test used by audiologists to evaluate a person's ability to hear speech. We will have you listen to words at different volumes and repeat them back. This will help determine the softest speech sounds you can hear to aid in the diagnosis and management of hearing loss.

With speech audiometry, audiologists measure how much hearing loss impacts the understanding of spoken words and whether there are problems from ear to brain that could be causing difficulties. The test will also check whether patients can pick up on voices, differentiate types of sounds in speech, and remember what was said correctly.

In addition to the highlighted tests, other tests such as ultra-high frequencies, tinnitus pitch and loudness match (only if applicable) will also be performed to gauge your uncomfortable loudness levels.

Results

Once the hyperacusis test is completed, we will explain the results to you and discuss what we've discovered and how it is affecting your life. We can also discuss the different treatment options and possibly some ideas on prognosis.