How to determine the severity of hearing
How to determine the severity of hearing
Hearing test for most people is associatedwith uttering a whisper of numerals in the office of the LOR. This simplified scheme does not allow us to detect serious hearing impairments. This will require a serious examination, which can be done in many specialized centers.
Modern methods and devices
The study of the state of hearing is one of the leastpainful medical procedures, besides it is of great interest for the patient. Modern methods of determining the severity of hearing include tone threshold audiometry. This method is suitable for detecting the slightest hearing impairment at relatively early stages, when a person himself can not even notice them.In normal hearing, the chart-audiogram is a flat line without pronounced peaks, which means that all frequencies are perceived by a person approximately equally.A full survey begins with a detailedconsultation with a surdologist who performs otoscopy or examination of the tympanic membrane and external ear. This quick and painless procedure involves checking for mechanical damage and pathological conditions of the external ear. The surdologist finds out from the patient whether his common symptoms of hearing impairment are concerned - ringing in the ears, indistinctness of speech, background hum. After otoscopy, the physician proceeds to audiometry or to measure hearing. The hearing loss does not change depending on your condition. Therefore, absolute or accurate measurements are used for the survey. The most popular of them is audiometry, which is a high-tech way to determine the threshold of hearing the patient, to measure his acuity of hearing, to identify possible deviations.
Modern audiometry
Audiometry has no contraindications and can notgive any deviation. It can be of two types - tonal and speech. Tonal audiometry determines the threshold of the patient's audibility, revealing the quietest sounds that he can discern. During tonal audiometry, the expert determines how well the patient can distinguish between the sounds of various low and high frequencies, generally in the range of 250 to 8000 Hertz. This is the range of human speech.An audiogram is needed to select a hearing aid, because it clearly shows which frequencies need to be amplified.Speech audiometry is needed to understand howwell the patient can disassemble human speech. Since sometimes a patient with no visible hearing impairment can have problems with her understanding. According to the results of the research, the specialist should make a graph-audiogram, which reflects the acuity of the patient's hearing. The audiogram looks like a blank with a vertical and horizontal axis. The horizontal axis indicates the frequency of the sound, on the vertical axis - the sound level. These studies are reflected by separate curves for the right and left ear. On the basis of audiometry, the audiologist must draw a conclusion about the nature of hearing impairment. With the aid of a graphics-audiogram, it is possible to identify problems with the perception of specific frequencies.
