Some doctor’s appointments feel almost habitual. When you go to the dentist, you expect that they’ll clean your teeth and, hopefully, not need to fill any cavities. When you go to the eye doctor, you envision a chart with a bunch of letters gradually decreasing in size. Unfortunately, you may not have a framework for seeing an audiologist when you suspect hearing loss.
Let’s walk through what you can expect from your first audiology appointment.
Step 1: Intake
As with any trip to the doctor’s office, you will need to fill out a few forms regarding your insurance and medical history. You will likely do this when you check in for your appointment.
Step 2: Questions or Concerns
When you go into the appointment with your hearing specialist, they’ll ask you if you have any questions or concerns about your hearing health. This is a good time to bring up any ear or hearing symptoms you’ve been noticing, including but not limited to:
- Ringing in the ears
- Trouble understanding speech
- Fatigue after communication-heavy days
- Turning up the TV or radio louder than usual
- Difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds like birds in Lincoln Park
- A feeling of fullness in the ear
- Earache
Your specialist will note down your concerns and address any questions you have about your symptoms. They will give you a more in-depth review after an exam.
Step 3: Ear Exam and Hearing Testing
Your hearing specialist will begin with an ear exam to look for physical blockages, such as earwax or fluid from an ear infection, that could be muffling your hearing. Next, they’ll conduct a pure-tone hearing test, typically involving the following steps:
- You’ll sit in a quiet room wearing headphones
- Your specialist will play a series of beeps at various volumes and frequencies
- You will raise your hand or click a button whenever you hear a beep
- Your specialist will chart the results on an audiogram—a visual representation of your hearing abilities
After the test, your specialist will review the audiogram to determine whether you have hearing loss and, if so, how advanced it is. Depending on the results, they may conduct a few additional tests, including tympanometry to assess how well the eardrum moves and an otoacoustic emissions test (OAE) to evaluate the inner ear.
Step 4: Treatment Consultation
If your specialist identifies hearing loss, they’ll walk you through the available treatment options, the most common of which is hearing aids. You may end up choosing and ordering a pair of hearing aids during this first appointment.
Research shows that hearing loss increases your risk of depression, anxiety, frustration, social isolation, fatigue and more. Identifying and treating hearing loss as early as possible is crucial in minimizing these adverse effects. Contact us at Tinnitus & Hearing Experts to schedule your first check-up.