Finding a good hearing care professional is an important first step in managing hearing loss.
Hearing care professionals are specially and uniquely trained in the treatment of hearing and balance. A first visit to a hearing care professional typically includes a hearing exam, which detects any hearing loss you may have, the type, and what could be causing it. You’ll also find out what treatments are available.
Regardless of which type of hearing care professional you see, they can match you with the hearing aids that are appropriate for your hearing loss and provide you with the support to help you get the most from their use.
In this blog, you’ll learn what you can expect from your first visit at the hearing care professional and hearing care clinic.
Here’s a guide on what to expect:
Lifestyle Consultation
- Before completing the exam, the hearing care professional will ask you a series of questions to learn more about your lifestyle and specific hearing difficulties or needs. They’ll probably ask about your general health, and your motivation for coming in for a hearing evaluation.
Physical Exam
- The hearing care professional will examine your ear canal and ear drum using a special light, called an otoscope, to check the physical health of your ears.
Hearing Test
- You’ll be asked to listen to a series of tones while wearing headphones in a booth or room to evaluate your hearing at different frequencies and volumes. The headphones are connected to an audiometer which sends tones at various frequencies to one ear at a time. You will be asked to signal by raising your hand or pressing a button when you hear each tone. You’ll also be asked to respond to the lowest level that you can hear which determines your hearing thresholds.
Other Tests
- Your evaluation may include additional tests, such as speech testing and tympanometry and acoustic reflex testing. During the speech test, your hearing care professional will present words or sentences to you, and you’ll be asked to repeat what you hear. Tympanometry and acoustic reflex testing check the function of your eardrum and middle ear structures. These tests require a small probe to be placed inside your ear canal while you feel slight changes in air pressure and hear some loud beeps. This test helps to identify problems in the middle ear that could contribute to hearing loss.
Audiogram
- During the hearing test, the hearing healthcare professional will plot points on a graph, called an audiogram, based on your responses to each tone. Once your hearing test is completed, they’ll use this audiogram to explain the findings of your hearing test and propose treatment options.
In addition, here are some things to consider and ask when visiting the hearing care professional for the first time:
- What are the hours of operations?
- What are the costs I should know about prior to the initial appointment?
- Do you take my insurance?
- How long is the initial appointment?
- What can I expect to take place in the initial appointment?
- What can I bring with me to my appointment (i.e. initial paperwork, healthcare card, insurance card, license, etc.)?
- Can I bring a family member or a friend with me as a second set of ears?
Your hearing care professional is here to help you and provide you with the best hearing care. To find a hearing care professional near you, visit: https://www.resound.com/en-us/find-a-professional.
