{"id":703,"date":"2019-09-26T16:13:40","date_gmt":"2019-09-26T16:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/?p=703"},"modified":"2019-09-26T21:43:48","modified_gmt":"2019-09-26T21:43:48","slug":"types-of-hearing-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/types-of-hearing-tests\/","title":{"rendered":"Types of Hearing Tests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>About 20 percent of Indianapolis residents are experiencing <strong>hearing loss<\/strong>. Many aren\u2019t even aware of the problem; hearing loss develops gradually, and we often adjust to it over time as we <a href=\"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/hearing-loss\/other-health-risks\/\" title=\"Effects of Untreated Hearing Loss | Indiana Hearing Specialists\">grow used to hearing less<\/a>. The volume on the TV creeps up little by little until one day a loved one tells us to \u201cturn it down already, and by the way, get your ears checked!\u201d Annoying tone aside, this is good advice. Hearing tests are a surefire way to diagnose hearing loss and are especially important in getting it treated. Early detection is key \u2013 not only in finding a solution to improve your quality of life, but in preventing complications associated with hearing loss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The\nImportance of Hearing Tests<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/test.jpg\" alt=\"person taking a written test \" class=\"wp-image-704\" width=\"487\" height=\"324\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Hearing\nloss isn\u2019t just frustrating and inconvenient; left <a href=\"http:\/\/www.betterhearing.org\/hearingpedia\/consequences-hearing-loss\">untreated<\/a>,\nit can lead to many negative physical, social, and cognitive health effects,\nincluding:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Irritability and anger<\/li><li>Fatigue, stress, and depression<\/li><li>Social withdrawal <\/li><li>Isolation and loneliness<\/li><li>Reduced alertness and increased risk\n     to personal safety<\/li><li>Memory impairment<\/li><li>Reduced job performance and earning\n     power<\/li><li>Cognitive decline and depression<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Even Indianapolis residents who do not <a href=\"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/hearing-loss\/types\/\" title=\"Hearing Loss Overview | Indiana Hearing Specialists\">suspect hearing loss<\/a> should make regular hearing tests a routine part of their overall health screening once they reach the age of 50. They\u2019re not just for older adults, either; babies and toddlers should have their hearing tested in order to prevent delays in speech and language development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hearing\nEvaluations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike multiple choice tests, you can\u2019t \u201cguess\u201d on a <a href=\"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/hearing-loss\/hearing-tests\/\" title=\"Hearing Tests | Indiana Hearing Specialists\">hearing test<\/a> and get lucky. But there\u2019s nothing to worry about! Hearing tests are completely safe and painless. They are performed in a soundproof booth and results are plotted on an audiogram \u2013 a chart that shows your hearing response to different frequencies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a variety of different hearing tests. Your audiologist\nmay recommend one or several of the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What tests can be used to diagnose hearing loss?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Air\nConduction Test. <\/strong>Also referred to as pure tone audiometry, this test involves\nresponding to tones of varying volume and frequency by raising a hand, pressing\na button, or giving a verbal reply. Your responses will determine how well you\ncan hear at different frequencies, an indication of whether you have a\nconductive or sensorineural hearing loss. <\/li><li><strong>Bone\nConduction Test.<\/strong> Bone conduction testing is similar, but instead of wearing headphones,\na two-pronged metal instrument known as a tuning fork is placed on your head.\nWhen struck, it vibrates and produces a mechanical tone stimulates the cochlea.\nYour response indicates how well sound is traveling through your ear. <\/li><li><strong>Auditory\nBrainstem Response (ABR).<\/strong> In an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asha.org\/public\/hearing\/Auditory-Brainstem-Response\/\">ABR test,<\/a> electrodes\nare attached to your head, scalp and earlobes, and you are given headphones to\nwear. A series of clicking noises is sent through the headphones, and the\nelectrodes measure your brainwave activity in response to these sounds. It is a\nreliable indicator of sensorineural hearing loss and is often used in newborn\nhearing screening programs.<\/li><li><strong>Speech\nTesting.<\/strong>\nSpeech testing measures your speech reception and word recognition abilities.\nYou are given a series of words and phrases delivered at normal conversational\nlevels and asked to repeat them. Testing may be performed in both quiet and\nnoisy backgrounds. <\/li><li><strong>Otoacoustic\nEmissions (OAEs).<\/strong> In an OAE test, a probe containing a microphone and speaker is\ninserted into the ear canal and sound is generated. This stimulates the cochlea\nand causes the hair cells to vibrate in response, producing their own faint\nsound known as an otoacoustic emission. When hearing loss exceeds 25-30\ndecibels, no sounds will be produced. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Contact your Indianapolis area audiologist for more information\non hearing tests or to schedule an appointment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> Related Hearing Loss Posts: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/hearing-myths-that-may-be-hurting-you\/\" title=\"Hearing Myths That May Be Hurting You\"><strong>Hearing Myths That May Be Hurting You?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/what-hearing-aid-style-is-right-for-me\/\" title=\"What Hearing Aid Style is Right for Me?\"><strong>What Hearing Aid Style is Right for Me?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/can-hearing-loss-be-prevented\/\" title=\"Can Hearing Loss Be Prevented?\"><strong>Can Hearing Loss Be Prevented?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About 20 percent of Indianapolis residents are experiencing hearing loss. Many aren\u2019t even aware of the problem; hearing loss develops gradually, and we often adjust to it over time as we grow used to hearing less. The volume on the TV creeps up little by little until one day a loved one tells us to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"317-671-8000 | Hearing tests are a surefire way to diagnose hearing loss and are especially important in getting it treated. Early detection is key.","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianahearingspecialists.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}