Understanding Your Hearing Test Results

A hearing test will be performed by your audiologist to determine your quality of hearing. There will be several tests performed.  As soon as you have undergone these tests, your audiologist will go over the results with you to ensure that you understand whether you have any hearing loss and what your next actions should be.

The results of a hearing test are plotted on an audiogram, which displays the frequencies and levels that may be heard in each ear separately. You can request to see this graph, and your audiologist will be able to explain what it represents. Look over these suggestions to learn more about your hearing test results if you want to be able to interpret them and explain them to others. 

What Is an Audiogram?

When someone listens to different pitches or frequencies, they can hear the softest sounds on a graph, which is known as an audiogram. On one graph, it will frequently provide hearing levels for both the left and right ears, with different symbols representing each ear. It may demonstrate asymmetrical hearing loss, in which case the hearing loss is different in each ear or it may demonstrate symmetrical hearing loss, in which case the hearing loss is the same in both ears, among other things.

Similarly, if the hearing loss is symmetrical, the plotted data for both ears will follow the same pattern, whereas an asymmetrical hearing loss would appear as two lines that are distinct from one another.

Hearing Loss in The High and Low-Frequency Ranges

It is possible that you have high frequency or low-frequency hearing loss. You can see the frequency at the top of your audiogram, with higher frequencies on the right side of the screen. It is possible that you have high-frequency hearing loss if you get a hearing test done and the markings are predominantly on the right side of the audiogram.

This means that it is more difficult for you to hear high-pitched noises. Your low-frequency hearing loss is indicated by the fact that they are on the left. This makes it difficult to detect low-pitched noises.

Decibels

The other axis on your audiogram measures decibels (dB), which is a unit of sound used to measure volume in audio recordings. The greater the number, the greater the severity of the hearing loss. A mark of 80 decibels, for example, indicates that sound below that volume will not be detected by the ear.

You may also receive information on what you can hear at different decibel levels with your audiogram, or your audiologist may provide you with this information separately from your audiogram. This can assist you in comprehending how your hearing loss may affect you in your day-to-day activities and interactions.

Score on the Word Recognition Test

In addition to the results of your hearing test, you will be given a word recognition score, which tests your speech perception. One of the reasons for assessing this is that it can be used to determine whether or not hearing aids would be beneficial for you. Many people choose a 50% cut off as a starting point. If you have any questions about your hearing test results, you should consult with your audiologist to find out more about what they indicate.