Your hearing tells a story of the many sounds and experiences that have filled your life. When you come in to see us for a hearing assessment, you benefit from a thorough, respectful process that begins with your unique story.
Rest assured that with our comprehensive hearing assessments, your concerns and questions are not only heard but also addressed, with expert care and compassion.
What to Expect at a Hearing Assessment Appointment
Your appointment unfolds step by step. You’re greeted with an initial conversation where your responses help determine the best tests and questions for your case. This personalized approach means you benefit from care that is as unique as the life you lead.
Otoscopic Examination
An evaluation of your outer ear and ear canal is conducted using an instrument called an otoscope. This important step checks for abnormalities and ensures that every part of your ear is ready for further testing. It’s a key examination that helps catch issues early and provide a clearer picture of your hearing health.
Pure-Tone Air Conduction Testing
During this phase of the examination, sound is delivered through headphones or soft disposable ear tips. You’ll hear a series of beeps or tones at various pitches and volumes, and you’ll be asked to indicate when you hear a sound.
This assessment is crucial, as it measures the softest sounds you can hear across different frequencies, giving you and our audiologists in Kailua a clear idea of your hearing threshold.
Pure-Tone Bone Conduction Testing
For this portion, a small vibrating device is placed gently behind one ear at a time. If both your ears are similar, we may only perform this test on one side to confirm the results. The process is similar to the air conduction test and helps differentiate between types of hearing loss.
You benefit from comprehensive insights into how sound is transmitted through both the outer and inner components of your ear.
Speech Discrimination Testing
Real-world hearing isn’t just about detecting tones, which is why a speech discrimination test is also part of your evaluation.
You will listen to a series of words at a comfortable level, and your task will be to repeat each word. This test reveals how well you understand speech, which is a key factor in determining how your hearing challenges might be affecting your daily communication.
Consultation and Next Steps
After the assessments, you sit down with us to review the results.
During this consultation, you’re encouraged to ask questions and share any concerns you have. Recommendations for short-term and long-term steps consider your entire picture, not just your ears. You can rest assured that you will receive clear explanations and actionable advice. With us, your journey to better hearing is a partnership built on trust, information, and genuine care.
