Hearing Tests
The tuning fork test helps to separate the conductive hearing loss from sensorineural hearing loss.
Pure tone audiometry checks how well you hear sounds traveling through the ear canal (air conduction) and the skull (bone conduction). We will determine what kind of hearing loss you have by comparing how well you hear using these two types of conduction. You listen to tones through earphones in this test.
Speech reception and word recognition tests check how well you hear and understand speech.
Acoustic immittance tests (tympanometry and acoustic reflex tests) measure the amount of sound energy that "bounces" back from the eardrum (tympanic membrane) and the bones of the middle ear instead of being sent on to the inner ear.
Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) testing measures the inner ear's response to sound. Otoacoustic emissions are sounds made by the cochlea in response to a sound, such as a tone or aclick. Think of them as a quiet echo. Ear specialists can record and interpret these sounds to help rule out hearing loss. OAE testing is often used to screen newborns for hearing problems.