People exposed to loud noises should have regular hearing tests.
A hearing test, also known as an audiological assessment, determines how sensitive a person's hearing is to a variety of frequencies of sound. Hearing tests are given periodically to gauge whether a person needs a hearing aid.
Physical Exam
Before performing a hearing test, audiologists will examine the patient's ear canal. Hearing can be impaired by fluid or a tear in the eardrum, excessive wax, or foreign objects in the ear canal.
Speech Audiometry
This section of a hearing test requires that people repeat words they hear. They are presented with two-syllable words at increasingly lower volumes, and also difficult-to-distinguish one-syllable words at a comfortable speaking volume.
Pure-Tone Audiometry
Another test for hearing loss assesses the lowest volume at which a person hears tones of each frequency. Patients wear headphones to test each ear separately, indicating whenever they hear a tone.
Audiogram
The results of the pure-tone test are displayed on a graph called an audiogram. X's and O's mark the softest tones at each frequency heard in the left and right ears. Marks at volumes louder than 15 decibels indicate hearing loss.
Children
Hearing tests for children often involve games such as putting a small object into a basket when a sound is heard. Infants have their hearing tested by measuring responses such as looking for the sound or sucking a pacifier.
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