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Adult Hearing Test

Has your hearing changed? It’s time for a hearing test!

How does our hearing work?

From essential daily communication with our loved ones, through to enjoying your favourite music, our entire auditory system from our ears to our brain must be working well for us to experience any kind of connection to both the people and world around us – but how does our hearing actually work?

Sounds enter our ears via waves in the air, and these sound waves are transmitted down our ear canal causing our eardrums to respond with vibration. This movement impacts a chain of small bones in the middle ear whose job it is to transmit this vibration to the fluid filled inner ear, or cochlea. It is here in the cochlea that sound is organised into different pitches, and this specific pitch information is then relayed via nerve cells to the brain. The brain has an integral role in then interpreting the sound information received from the nerve cells – giving it meaning.

When our hearing starts to change, our entire world is affected. At Sydney Hearing Clinic we use state of the art technology and equipment that tells us exactly where your hearing and ear health is. Our highly experienced and expert audiologist will provide you with an individualised plan on how we can re-connect you with the world around you.

Pensioners using hearing aids on holidays

Hearing loss in adults

Adult hearing loss occurs when one of the components in our hearing system detailed above is impacted, and it is more common than you think. 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 have a hearing loss. Often termed the “invisible handicap’, hearing loss can go unnoticed by an individual due its gradual onset and the coping mechanisms we use to compensate. That means it is often our loved ones who will be the first to notice the impact of hearing loss.

Some signs that you or a loved one may be impacted by hearing loss include:

  • Feeling that people always “mumble”
  • Difficulty hearing in noisy environments
  • Difficulty understanding people unless they are facing you
  • Often having to ask people to repeat themselves
  • Turning up the TV louder than you used to, or louder than the people around you
  • Unable to hear your phone or doorbell ringing
  • Feeling tired or fatigued at the end of the day
  • Constant noise, buzzing, or ringing in your ears

More information about our hearing assessments

A hearing test is a non-invasive assessment of a person’s ability to hear the loudness and pitch of sounds. Hearing tests detect even the slightest level of hearing loss and whether that hearing loss is sensorineural hearing loss (damage to the nerve or cochlea) or conductive hearing loss (damage to the eardrum or the tiny ossicle bones or fluid in the ears) Hearing test results will indicate how mild or severe hearing loss is, if hearing aids are required, or if any other remedial steps need to be taken.

Your hearing test will take approximately 1hr and includes the following:

  • Detailed case history.
  • Otoscopy: Examination of the outer ear canal and eardrum using an otoscope which has a magnifier and light.
  • Tympanometry: This test assists to detect middle ear problems such as fluid/wax buildup, a perforated eardrum or ossicle bone (tiny bones in the middle ear) damage. A tympanometry test also includes acoustic reflex testing. This evaluates the working of the inner ear (cranial nerves and brainstem) For this test a soft plug is placed in each ear, one at a time. The plug will change pressure, make a noise, and track your ear’s responses to the sound and various pressures. This test also measures the movement of the eardrum as well as the reflexes of the tiny muscles attached to the middle-ear bone muscles (ossicles).
  • Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAEs): This test is conducted by placing a soft plug in the ear to assist in detecting a hearing loss by measuring outer hair cell integrity and cochlear function.
  • Pure tone audiometry: This test is conducted in a hearing booth and tests the softest, or least audible, sound that a person can hear. During the test, you will wear earphones and hear a range of sounds directed to one ear at a time. The loudness of sound is measured in decibels (dB). A whisper is about 20 dB, loud music ranges 80-120 dB, and a jet engine is about 180 dB. The tone of sound is measured in frequencies (Hz) and a normal hearing range is 250-8,000 Hz at 25 dB or lower.
  • Word recognition/speech discrimination: This test assesses a person's ability to hear/interpret one and two syllable words. You will be asked to repeat these words as you hear them through a pair of headphones. If your speech discrimination is poor, speech/words may sound garbled, or you may only hear the beginning, end, or middle of a word.

Yes. You will receive your hearing test results during the appointment once all assessments have been completed. Our audiologist will interpret all the test result data, and step you through these results in a thorough, clear, and easy to understand way. Recommendations and options for hearing support, ie hearing aids, or other actions/next steps will then be discussed with you so you feel informed and reassured. The audiologist will also provide a detailed report of all your test results for both you and your referring GP (if applicable)

A referral is not required for a hearing test however, a GP referral will entitle the patient to a nominal Medicare rebate.

Speak to our experienced audiology team today

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