What Will Your Hearing Test Tell You?

If you have booked a hearing test with an audiologist or you have already had one and you are waiting on the results, you may be wondering what to expect. What sort of results can you get from your test? What do they mean? To help you out with your curiosity, we have put this guide together to give you a better understanding of what your hearing test results may mean.

What Do The Results Mean When You Have A Hearing Test

A hearing test is not an exam that has a pass-fail marking scheme. However, the results can show whether or not you have hearing loss. Moreover, if you do, the results will indicate whether this is something you are experiencing in both ears, or just one. The hearing test can also help the audiologist to understand how much of your hearing has gone. 

Understanding What Counts as Hearing Loss

Decibels is the unit we use when we are measuring sound and its intensity. When someone whispers in your ears, this will be around 30 decibels. However, with normal speech, you can expect the sound to be measured somewhere in the 60-decibel mark. If someone was to shout in your ear, it would be more like 80 decibels. 

Should you have normal hearing, you would have hearing loss up to 25 decibels. However, if you do have a degree of hearing loss that requires further investigation, then it may fall into one of the following five categories:

• 26 to 40 decibels is deemed mild hearing loss.
• 41 to 55 decibels is deemed moderate hearing loss.
• 56 to 70 decibels is deemed moderate-to-severe hearing loss.
• 71 to 90 decibels is deemed severe hearing loss.
• 91 to 100 decibels is deemed profound hearing loss. 

You may be shocked if you have a hearing test and the results show that you have some form of hearing loss, be it severe or simply mild. This can be surprising for a lot of people, especially if the hearing loss has crept up gradually on them. 

However, your audiologist will be there to help you understand the results and the steps that you need to take next in order to maintain your quality of life. Don’t be afraid to ask any questions that you may have about the results you have received. After all, that is what your audiologist is there for.

We hope that the information that we have provided above will be helpful to you. If you are concerned that you may have hearing loss, the most important thing to do is book a hearing test with an experienced and reputable audiologist. The sooner you book a test, the quicker you can get your normal quality of living back.