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Hearing Test vs. Audiometry Test: Is There a Difference?
In Short
Understand the difference between a hearing test and an audiometry test, including how each evaluates hearing ability, what to expect during testing and when you may need one.
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Hearing Test vs. Audiometry Test: Is There a Difference?
A health camp checked your hearing last winter and found nothing wrong. Now your ENT has written 'audiometry' on the prescription, and you are wondering why the test is being repeated. It is not being repeated. The two names get mixed up constantly, yet each refers to something different.
A hearing test is any check of how well you hear. The screening at a health camp counts, as does the whisper test some doctors still use in the OPD, and so does an online hearing test taken at home with a pair of earphones. Audiometry is narrower. It is one particular type of hearing test, carried out by an audiologist on a calibrated machine called an audiometer, and it looks at your hearing in far greater depth.
So every audiometry test is a hearing test. Not every hearing test is audiometry.
What Is a Hearing Test?
Broadly speaking, a hearing test is an initial examination. It is tasked with answering one question: does your hearing loss warrant medical attention?
Certain checks are incredibly uncomplicated. Certain medical practitioners still employ the whisper test, where they stand in close proximity to you, say something like'sixty-two', and wait for it to be heard. Headphones and a raised hand are commonly used during school screenings, without much effort. It's not that complicated in fact. How does it work?
You can take hearing tests on your phone in the school format.? Wear earphones and tap them to detect any sound, and you'll be done in five minutes.
A screening is not capable of providing detail.? No one seems to know what's weaker, how high pitched, which way the sound is, and why.
What Is an Audiometry Test?
Audiometry is a complete measurement. However, since the booth is soundproof and the audiometer has been recalibrated, previous year's readings can be placed next to this year’s.
When using pure tone audiometry, which typically initiates the session, you can activate a button for each low or high beep in headphones, regardless of whether they are faint or not. Until you stop pressing, the auditory system keeps cutting back. Your hearing ability threshold for a given pitch is determined by the level you can still hear.
Bone conduction testing usually follows. By using a small band that is adjusted behind the ear, vibrations are transmitted from inside the skull to the inner EAR, without ever reaching the normal center. If the outer or middle ear is not as smooth as the headphones, it may be due to wax or fluid in the band. The hearing nerve or inner ear will be examined by the audiologist if both are weak.
Speech audiometry is a typical method of repeating elementary words at different volumes. The device identifies patients who can hear sounds but cannot understand the words spoken.
Hearing Test vs. Audiometry Test: Key Differences
Basis | Hearing Test | Audiometry Test |
Meaning | Any check of how well you hear | A specific, detailed clinical hearing test |
Purpose | Screens for a possible hearing problem | Measures the type and degree of hearing loss |
Where it is done | Home, school, health camp or clinic | Soundproof booth or quiet clinic room |
Equipment | Phone, laptop, earphones or none | Calibrated audiometer and bone conduction device |
Conducted by | Self, nurse or general doctor | Audiologist or trained hearing care professional |
Time taken | A few minutes | Longer, as each ear and pitch is tested separately |
Result | Pass, or advice to get checked further | Detailed audiogram for each ear |
Use for hearing aids | Not enough to fit hearing aids | Needed to choose and program hearing aids |
Where an Online Hearing Test Fits In
Many people these days take a hearing check online, often late at night on their phone, after putting it off for years. Most of these tests cost nothing.
But remember, conditions at home matter a lot. Cheap earphones, a whirring ceiling fan, or low phone volume can affect the overall score. An online test also cannot tell earwax apart from nerve damage, and no audiologist would fit hearing aids on the basis of it.
Consider it an early warning sign.' If it turns out to be deaf, then a full audiometry test should be conducted next.
When to Book an Audiometry Test
There are many reasons for seeing an audiologist such as:
- Often asking others to repeat
- Family members complaining you turn the TV up too loud
- Struggling to keep up in a busy restaurant
- Ringing/buzzing in ears for several days
- Always using the same ear for phone calls.
If there has been sudden hearing loss in one or both ears then this should be seen by a doctor straight away.
Factory workers, musicians and those who work in noisy environments should have regular checks. Older adults should have regular checks as they will often suffer from age related hearing loss. This happens very gradually.
Why Audiometry Is Important For Hearing Aids
Hearing loss is rarely uniform across all frequencies. You may find that you can hear low tones such as male voices, but struggle to understand much of what your grandchild says.
The audiogram shows where there are gaps in hearing so that the audiologist can fit you with the correct hearing aids. Each device will be programmed to boost only the frequencies you are struggling to hear by the minimum amount needed. Without an audiogram you would be guessing when fitting hearing aids.
Your hearing will continue to change as you get older. Hearing aids can be adjusted due to a follow up audiometry.
Testing Your Hearing with HearZap
A good start would be to complete their online hearing test. If it causes any concerns you can book a full hearing assessment with one of their trained professionals who can also talk you through the options for hearing aids that fit your level of hearing and budget.
Conclusion
Obviously there is a difference between the two. The only thing that a hearing test (online or otherwise) will tell you is whether there is an issue. Treatment and hearing aids are based on the results of the audiometry. This tells you what type and how severe your hearing loss is. Book an audiometry to ensure you get a proper answer if you were unsure after a quick check up.
