Hearing Test

To protect your long-term hearing or identify the cause of hearing loss, the team at South Lake Ears Nose and Throat, Hearing and Tinnitus Center offers on-site hearing tests. Stan Phillips, MD, and the other board certified providers use advanced hearing tests to assess your inner ear health and evaluate your ability to hear sounds at different volumes and frequencies. If it sounds like people are always mumbling or you have persistent ringing in your ear, schedule a hearing test online or call the office in Huntersville, North Carolina, today.

What is a hearing test?

A hearing test helps diagnose the cause of tinnitus (ringing in the ears) or hearing loss.

South Lake Ears Nose and Throat, Hearing and Tinnitus Center offers a range of hearing tests in-office. The team can determine which tests you need based on your symptoms and your age.

What hearing tests are available?

The South Lake Ears Nose and Throat, Hearing and Tinnitus Center team offers hearing tests like:

Pure-tone testing

Pure-tone testing identifies the quietest sound you can hear at different frequencies. During this test, you wear a pair of earphones that deliver different sounds into one ear at a time. You acknowledge hearing a sound verbally, by pressing a button, or by raising your hand.

Speech testing

Speech testing identifies how well you can hear and repeat words. The team says words that you hear in headphones at different volume levels, and you repeat them.

Middle ear tests

Middle ear tests evaluate the function of your middle ear and can identify fluid behind the eardrum, infections, or the cause of hearing loss.

There are several tests the team uses, including tympanometry to assess how your eardrum moves, acoustic reflex measures that evaluate the reflexes in the tiny muscle in your inner ear when you hear sound, and static acoustic impedance that measures the amount of air in your ear canal.

Auditory brainstem response (ABR)

ABR testing assesses the function of your inner ear (cochlea) and its connection to the brain pathways that support your hearing. The test involves putting electrodes on your head to record brain activity that occurs in response to hearing sounds.

Otoacoustic emissions (OAE)

OAE is a test to evaluate how your inner ear works by measuring the vibrations hair cells in your ear produce when you hear external sounds. The test can identify hearing loss and its severity.

When should I schedule a hearing test?

You should schedule a preventive hearing test at South Lake Ears Nose and Throat, Hearing and Tinnitus Center every three years, even if you don’t have hearing issues. These preventive tests can track changes in your hearing and identify potential risk factors for hearing loss.

You also need hearing tests if you have issues like:

• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Ear pressure or pain from an infection
• Difficulties hearing people when they speak
• Needing to listen to television or the radio at high volume

The team can determine which hearing tests you need after reviewing your symptoms and examining your ears. They can also customize a treatment plan if you have an infection or other issues that can contribute to hearing loss.

Schedule a hearing test online or call South Lake Ears Nose and Throat, Hearing and Tinnitus Center today.