Free Hearing Test
Regular hearing tests are essential to maintaining good hearing health. If you wear hearing aids, it’s especially important to have your hearing tested every year to ensure that your hearing aids are providing the correct level of amplification. A hearing test can detect changes in your hearing and also help to identify any underlying conditions that may be causing your hearing loss. By detecting changes early, we can work together to prevent further deterioration. At Hearmed Acoustic Healthcare, we offer zero obligation free hearing tests. Our comprehensive hearing evaluations include tests to gauge your hearing sensitivity, speech understanding, and ability to hear in noisy environments.
Early Detection of Hearing Loss
Hearing tests play an important role in identifying hearing loss at its earliest stages. For healthy people under 40 years of age with no current obvious signs of hearing loss, we generally recommend a hearing test every three to five years. For those over sixty years of age we highly recommend that you have your hearing tested once a year. For older people regular screenings enable us to monitor your hearing health over time. Identifying hearing loss early allows for faster treatment. Early diagnosis reduces the potential for hearing loss to impact negatively on your life quality and also contributes to the prevention of any further deterioration in your hearing.
Tailored Treatment Plans
An accurate assessment of your current hearing levels through our comprehensive testing helps us develop personalised treatment plans. By understanding the specific type and degree of hearing loss you are experiencing, our audiologists can recommend suitable interventions, such as hearing aids or other rehabilitative strategies. Our tailored approach ensures best outcomes for all of our patients.
We offer three main types of hearing tests. Let’s explain what these tests are;
Pure Tone Audiometric Test
The pure tone audiometric test is a fundamental assessment that measures your hearing sensitivity across various frequencies. During this non-invasive procedure, you will wear headphones or insert earphones, and you will be asked to respond to different tones by indicating when you hear them. Here’s why this test is important:
- Frequency-Specific Results: This type of test provides us with detailed frequency-specific information, allowing us to identify the frequencies at which your hearing may be compromised. This knowledge is vital in determining the type and degree of potential hearing loss you may have and this guides us in the selection process of appropriate treatment options.
- Establishing Hearing Thresholds: By establishing your hearing thresholds, the Pure Tone Audiometric test helps us establish the softest sounds you are able to detect. This information is highly useful to us, especially for setting the appropriate amplification levels on hearing aids.
Real Ear Measurement
Real Ear Measurement (REM) is a valuable procedure that is designed to evaluate the performance of your hearing aids. It does this by measuring the sound delivered to your eardrum. By verifying the accuracy of amplification, REM provides several benefits:
- Customized Fitting: REM ensures your hearing aids are precisely calibrated to match your unique ear canal characteristics and hearing needs. This personalized fitting enhances the device’s performance, maximising your hearing experience and comfort.
- Real-Time Verification: REM provides immediate verification of the sound delivered by the hearing aid. By measuring the amplification at your eardrum, our audiologists can ensure that the device is effectively amplifying sounds to suit your personal unique hearing needs.
Otoscopy
Otoscopy is a visual examination of the ear using an otoscope, a handheld device with a light and a magnifying lens. This test enables us to examine the external ear canal, eardrum, and middle ear. Here’s why otoscopy is a really important part of the hearing assessment procedure:
- Identifying External Ear Abnormalities: Otoscopy helps us identify any abnormalities or obstructions in the external ear canal that may affect your hearing or require further evaluation. Conditions like excessive earwax buildup, infections, or structural issues can be detected and addressed without delay.
- Assessing Middle Ear Function: The eardrum and middle ear play a vital role in conducting sound vibrations. By visualising the eardrum’s appearance and movement during otoscopy, we can evaluate middle ear function, detect issues like eardrum perforations, and determine suitable treatment options.
Regular hearing tests with HearMed Acoustic Healthcare, based in Tullamore and Portlaoise, can play an important role in maintaining optimal hearing health and identifying hearing defects or issues. These tests outlined above make it possible for our audiologists to detect hearing loss, facilitate custom treatment plans, and allow for ongoing monitoring of any existing conditions. The Pure Tone Audiometric test, Real Ear Measurement, and Otoscopy are essential components of our comprehensive testing procedures.