At your first audiology appointment, our hearing professional will want to get a case history from you. This will include any relevant medical history, any recent complaints and symptoms you’ve had, and anything related to your symptoms. You should consider taking a close friend or family member with you to the appointment, as we may require tests that involve hearing a familiar voice and testing your hearing with that medium.

Depending on your history, one of three tests will be conducted:

Otoscopy: Our hearing specialist will look in your ear canal with an ‘otoscope’ and magnifying pen light. They will be checking for ear wax, blockages, or any problems with your ear canal or ear drum.

Tympanometry: This will test your middle ear function. Our hearing specialist will be looking to see how well your ear drum responds to light pressure. The test can detect anything that would inhibit motion of the eardrum like fluid, infection, or eustachian tube dysfunction.

Audiometry: This test really consists of two types of tests: air conduction and bone conduction testing. You will be in a soundproof booth or room and will be asked to raise your hand or push a button when you hear sounds. Air conduction determines the softest sound you can hear through earphones at several different pitches. Bone conduction determines the softest sound you can hear by stimulating the inner ear directly (through a bone vibrator that is placed behind the ear).

Following your hearing tests, our hearing specialist will discuss your results as well as appropriate treatment options for your type of hearing loss.