Your Case History

Before any examination begins, a case history will be taken. The audiologist needs to know about your medical background and health history because this helps him to determine possible causes of your hearing loss. It may also help him to make medical referrals, if necessary.

When taking your case history, the Atlanta audiologist will ask about your hearing and your history of hearing loss. He will also ask about your past exposure to noise, such as whether you have attended loud rock concerts or whether you frequently work around noisy power tools. He will also inquire about related issues like tinnitus, dizziness, past ear infections, and other medical conditions you may have.

Before beginning any testing, the audiologist will take a look at your ears with an otoscope. This is a tool with which he can look down into your ear canal to check for wax or other blockage. It is likely that you have seen this tool in your general practice doctor’s office, as most doctors use an otoscope during regular examinations.

Tympanometry Testing

Your Atlanta audiologist will likely move on to a tympanometry test next. This is a test of the functioning of your middle ear.

During this test, the audiologist will insert a small probe into the ear. You will feel a slight bit of pressure, but the probe is not painful at all. You may also hear some loud beeps. The tympanometry test will measure how well your eardrum moves in response to slight pressure. When doing this test, your audiologist is looking for anything that is prohibiting the moving of the eardrum, such as an infection, fluid, or any other disfunction.

Audiometry Testing

Next, your Atlanta audiologist will perform audiometry testing. For this test, he will have you sit in a soundproof room or booth and wear earphones. You will be instructed to raise your hand or press a button when you hear a sound. The purpose of this is to determine the softest sound that you can hear with earphones at several different pitches.

The same test will be repeated, but without the earphones; instead, a bone vibrator is placed behind your ear. The purpose of this test is to determine your softest sound hearing when stimulating the inner ear directly.

Evaluation

The information from these tests is used to determine the type of your hearing loss. Your Atlanta audiologist will also be able to determine the degree of your hearing loss.

Following these tests, you will be given recommendations as to what you can do in order to manage your hearing loss.