Congratulations on taking positive action
Your first visit to a hearing care centre is a vital step in safeguarding your health and ensuring you can get the most out of life. On this page you can find out everything you need to get ready for your visit to a hearing care professional, from what happens during a hearing test to the different types of hearing loss and what to consider if you need hearing aids.
What will happen at the hearing clinic?
When you arrive, you’ll meet a hearing care expert who is trained to give you professional help. You’ll be asked some questions about your hearing and then have your hearing tested. Before the hearing test, they will visually check your ears using an otoscope.
After your hearing test, the hearing care professional will have the necessary information about your hearing to see if you need hearing aids. Try to have an open mind and be ready to listen to the hearing care professional’s advice. If you do need hearing aids, they can recommend different types and personalise them to your unique hearing.
Bring someone with you
Bring someone who knows you well to your appointment – a partner, relative or friend may have noticed important details about your hearing. They will also help remember information from the meeting.
Preparation before you go
To help you quickly get to the issues that will improve your hearing, think about which situations are most challenging for you. Talk to friends or family members about anything they notice. Make notes so you can tell the hearing care professional.
Questions to think about:
- What do you struggle to hear?
- What can you hear well?
- In which situations is communication most important?
- In which situation would you most like to hear better in'?
- What do you do when you struggle to hear?
- How do others notice when you struggle to hear?
Testing your hearing
Good hearing professionals use a mixture of approaches to get a complete understanding of your unique hearing. One important test designed to uncover your hearing abilities is an audiogram.
What is an audiogram?
An audiogram is a graph that shows how well you can hear different sounds. It displays the softest sounds you can hear at each pitch, or frequency.To make an audiogram, you will have a pure tone test. One by one, individual sounds called pure tones are presented to you. You are asked to press a button or raise your hand every time you hear a tone, even if it's barely there. In this way, the hearing care professional will learn what your hearing thresholds are for each frequency and for each ear.
Together with other diagnostic tests, this helps your hearing care professional determine the type and degree of any hearing loss, and the correct treatment and rehabilitation for you.
Sensorineural hearing loss
This is the most common type of hearing loss, caused by damage to the inner ear. It typically occurs as a result of sensory hair cells in the cochlea losing some of their functionality, which then affects the ear's ability to transmit electrical impulses to the brain via the auditory nerve. However, it can also be caused by damage to the auditory nerve.
Conductive hearing loss
This type of hearing loss happens when the sound is prevented from effectively reaching the inner ear due to an obstruction in the outer or middle ear. This can be due to damage to a part of the ear such as the ear drum or the ossicles – the small bones in the middle ear. It can also be due to a genetic condition that prevents proper development of the hearing system.
Mixed hearing loss
This is where both sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss are present at the same time. An example would be if a person experienced damage to the inner ear from age-related wear and tear (causing a sensorineural hearing loss) and a growth in the ear canal (causing a conductive hearing loss).