Signs You May Need A Hearing Test

You may benefit from a hearing test if you:

• Often ask people to repeat themselves
• Struggle to follow conversations in busy or noisy places
• Turn the television or radio up louder than other people would like
• Find that voices sound muffled, or that you hear people speaking but cannot make out the words
• Notice ringing or buzzing in your ears
• Have a family member or friend who has mentioned your hearing

What Happens At Your Hearing Test

Your appointment begins with the ear examination. Claire looks inside your ears to check the ear canals and eardrums are healthy, and to rule out anything such as damage, infection or a blockage that could be affecting your hearing.

The audiometry that follows is comfortable and straightforward. You wear headphones and press a button each time you hear a sound, even when it is very faint. The sounds are played at different pitches, so Claire can map exactly how well you hear across the whole range of sounds you need for everyday life.

Understanding Your Audiogram

Your results are plotted on an audiogram, a graph that shows the quietest sounds you can hear at each pitch. It shows two things:

• The type of hearing loss, which can be sensorineural, conductive or mixed
• The degree of hearing loss, from mild through to moderate, severe and profound

Sensorineural hearing loss comes from the inner ear and is the most common type in adults, often linked to ageing or noise exposure. Conductive hearing loss happens when sound cannot travel efficiently through the outer or middle ear, and can sometimes be temporary. Mixed hearing loss is a combination of both. Claire will go through your audiogram with you and explain what each part means for the sounds you are missing.

After Your Hearing Test

If your results show your hearing is within normal limits, you will leave with the reassurance that your ears are healthy. If a hearing loss is found, Claire will talk through your options with you. Where hearing aids would help, she can recommend them from every major manufacturer, chosen to suit your hearing and your lifestyle, as she is independent and not tied to any brand. If your results suggest something that needs further investigation, Claire can refer you on to an ENT consultant, and her assessments are suitable for ENT referrals.

Where To Have Your Hearing Test

Hearing tests are available at The Lincoln Private Hospital clinic in Bailgate and at Claire’s home clinic, with the same up to date equipment at both. Home visits are also available, and Claire can do everything in a home visit that she can do in clinic. All appointments are by appointment only, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6.30pm.