Phonak Free Online Hearing Test

Over 48 million people in America have diagnosable hearing loss. This is approximately 15% of the total American population. So how do you diagnose hearing loss? Well, the easiest way is to schedule a visit to an audiologist and get a thorough hearing test.

Hearing tests ideally assess an individual’s ability to listen to the pitch and loudness of sounds. The outcome of the tests is outlined on an audiogram (graph) to help identify your hearing issues’ causes and severity.

There are numerous hearing tests, including speech discrimination tests, tone audiometry, and usage of audiometers. What’s more, special tests are used to test the hearing ability of children and babies.

Want to learn more about hearing tests? Here is everything you need to know.

What Are the Signs That You Require A Hearing Test?

Among the signs that may mean you need to go for a hearing test include:

• Tinnitus (ringing sensation in your ears)
• When you find that you often ask individuals to repeat something
• Noticing that people frequently complain that you talk too loudly
• Difficulty in hearing conversations, mainly when there is background noise

Types of Hearing Tests

There are multiple types of hearing tests, including:

Pure tone audiometry

A gadget known as an audiometer produces a wide array of whistles and beeps (pure tones). You can either indicate or press a button to outline that you hear these sounds.

When you listen to these pure tones through your headphones, the air conduction hearing is well assessed; and they test both the outer  and inner hearing pathway too.

Alternatively, if you listen to the sounds through bone conductors (vibrators held against your mastoid bone just behind your ear), it is possible to measure the sounds as your inner hearing pathways get them.

Speech discrimination tests

Just as the name suggests, this test assesses how you hear speech. These tests mandate that you repeat the words said to you. Ideally, age-related hearing loss starts with loss of higher frequencies meaning that certain speech sounds (like ‘f,’ ‘t,’ and ‘p’) wind up sounding quite similar.

Online hearing test

If you have a pair of headphones, you can check your hearing in the background noise. Established by the Australia National Acoustics Laboratories, this test takes less than four minutes and tests your hearing ability according to your age.

Are There Hearing Tests for Children and Babies?

Yes, there are.

Unfortunately, some babies are increasingly susceptible to hearing concerns. Some of the contributing risk factors include jaundice, premature birth, and low-birth-weight. Typically, the various hearing tests used usually depend on the child’s age and include:

Objective tests

Objective tests offer the most accurate indication of a baby’s hearing ability (especially those aged below six months). These include auditory brain stream response test, otoacoustic emission testing, tympanometry, and electrocochleography. These tests don’t require the listener to respond.

Visual reinforcement orientation

Your baby is trained to move their head towards sound by pairing him/her with a fascinating visual stimulus like a puppet. Typically, your baby will turn his/her head at this sound to see the puppet.

The baby’s response to different sounds is then assessed, although the ears can be individually tested if your baby can tolerate headphones.

Behavioral observation audiometry (BOA)

These tests comprise of making noises like shaking a nearby rattle and subsequently observing the child’s response. It is done to babies aged below seven months.

Play audiometry

Finally, older kids are trained to respond to various sounds through playing various games like dropping marble when they hear these sounds.

Get Your Free Online Hearing Test at Phonak!

Have any hearing concerns but don’t know who or where to turn to? Don’t just sit there, do something. With the Phonak online hearing test, you can test your hearing ability in mere minutes!

In most instances, we don’t notice hearing problems or even hearing loss until it is too late! Ideally, having difficulties in hearing family or friends can mean missing out on the entire story.

Although there is no replacement for a consultation with an accredited hearing specialist, our simple online hearing test can offer you detailed, quick, and handy feedback about your hearing ability.

So next time you suspect any hearing issues, take out our quick three-minute online hearing test today!