A Guide To Hearing Tests and Services

We know your hearing is important to you. Hearing loss not only affects your ability to hear but can also have significant impact on your psychological wellbeing. Feeling isolated and excluded from conversations due to hearing difficulties can lead to frustration and diminished quality of life.

If you think your hearing may have deteriorated, it is important to have it checked professionally as soon as possible. An audiologist will be able to advise how you can look after your valuable hearing now and in the future.

But what occurs when going for a hearing test? This guide will cover any questions you might have.

What Happens During A Hearing Test

Your hearing test will be carried out by an audiologist. You may have a few different tests during your appointment to check if you have hearing loss and to find out the cause.

Typically, a hearing test usually takes around 15 minutes to 1 hour depending on what tests you have.

Hearing Tests For Adults:

There are different types of hearing tests for adults. Tests you may have include:

• Pure Tone Audiometry: You listen to different sounds through headphones and press a button or raise a hand each time you hear something.
• Speech Audiometry: Similar to a pure tone audiometry test, but you listen to speech rather than sounds.
• Tympanometry: A small device is placed in your ear to check how well your eardrum is moving and if there is any blockage behind it that may be interfering with your hearing.

Complimentary Ear Health Checks at Opticare

 When you schedule a free hearing test with Opticare, our audiologist will thoroughly assess the health of your ears. A brief medical history will be taken, and the integrity of your ears and eardrum will be checked with an Otoscopy.

Your hearing ability will then be checked with a range of everyday scenarios at various pitches and tones played through a pair of headphones. These will include your ability to:

• Understand speech in quiet surroundings
• Understand speech in more challenging and noisy places
• Cope with fatigue from wearing a hearing system in a noisy environment for a prolonged period
• Respond to the new hearing levels and make sense of words again – assessed through an aided word recognition test.

This full diagnostic audiometry examination helps us determine exactly what has gone wrong with your hearing. Based on the results, your audiologist will recommend the next steps to keep your ears and hearing healthy and optimal.

Ear Wax Removal

Earwax is made inside your ears to keep them clean. It will usually fall out on its own. However, too much can build up and block the ears.

A build-up of earwax is a common problem. It can often be treated using eardrops brought from a pharmacy.

Symptoms of an earwax build up:

• Earache
• Hearing loss
• Tinnitus
• Itchiness
• Ear infections

Do NOT try to remove a build-up of earwax yourself. You could damage your ear and end up pushing the wax further down.

Those who are prone to wax build up and those that use hearing aids should get their ears checked annually.

Microsuction Ear Wax Removal at Opticare

At Opticare, our ear wax removal service is provided by our qualified audiologist using microsuction.

Our specialist audiologist safely, efficiently, and comfortably removes earwax using microsuction, a gentle method that uses no liquids. This technique allows clear visibility of the ear canal throughout the procedure, ensuring exceptional safety. The process is quick and painless, usually taking only a few minutes. Experts consider microsuction the safest and most effective method of wax removal.

We can carry out ear wax removal at £80 per appointment. Our audiologist will only remove wax when required.

Do you want to learn more about the hearing services offered by Opticare? Read about our services and get in contact here.