If you’ve noticed a change in your hearing or are simply interested in checking up on your auditory health, a traditional hearing test might come to mind. However, many audiologists now provide online hearing tests, allowing you to get a sense of your hearing abilities from the comfort of your own home. Here’s what you need to know about these tests and why they could be worth considering.
How Do Online Hearing Tests Work?
Online hearing tests are designed to offer a preliminary starting point for understanding your hearing capability. These tests typically measure how well you can detect various tones and understand speech against different levels of background noise. This tool is especially useful as more than a third of adults who would describe their hearing as good have admitted to pretending to follow conversations they’re struggling to hear.
While they don’t replace the comprehensive analysis you’d receive during an in-office exam, online tests can help identify potential hearing concerns. Reliable online tests will guide you through the process with clear instructions and provide validated results.
There are two common types of online hearing tests you might encounter:
- Pure-Tone Audiometry: This test plays a series of sounds at different pitches and volumes. You’ll need to indicate when you can hear a sound, which helps assess your sensitivity to different frequencies. This type of test mirrors part of what you would experience during an in-person hearing assessment.
- Speech-in-Noise Testing: This test evaluates your ability to understand speech when there’s background noise, which is a common real-world challenge. The test involves listening to words or sentences spoken at varying volumes over background sounds, and you’ll be asked to repeat what you hear.
Making the Most of Online Hearing Test Results
While online hearing tests are accessible and provide valuable initial insights, they are not a substitute for a thorough hearing evaluation by a hearing specialist. Think of the results as a preliminary check.
If the test suggests possible hearing loss, or if you’ve been noticing symptoms like difficulty following conversations at places like The Coffee Barr, ringing in the ears or frequently needing to ask others to repeat themselves, it’s important to book an in-person hearing test.
Here’s how you can use the results from an online hearing test:
- Early detection of hearing loss: Online tests can help catch early signs of hearing loss that might otherwise be overlooked. Early detection is essential, as untreated hearing loss can gradually worsen over time.
- Prepare for your visit: If the online test indicates hearing loss, you’ll be better equipped to discuss your concerns with an audiologist. Sharing your test results and describing any symptoms can help guide the conversation about your hearing health.
- Determine your next steps: Based on what the online test reveals, you might decide to monitor your hearing or take more immediate action by scheduling an appointment with a hearing specialist. During this appointment, the hearing specialist can conduct a full audiogram, offering a detailed diagnosis and outlining potential treatment options.
Online hearing tests are a practical tool for anyone interested in evaluating their hearing health. They provide a quick and convenient way to determine whether you might have hearing loss and could serve as a starting point before booking a consultation with a specialist.
To take an online hearing test, visit Today’s Hearing website, and once you have your results, contact us to schedule a professional consultation.