It’s recommended to have at least one hearing test a year to know the state of your hearing health and stay ahead of future problems — prevention is key to good hearing health.
Studies support the idea that treating hearing loss in its early stages has multiple benefits, such as preventing cognitive decline in the part of the brain linked to hearing, or stabilising the loss.
It’s therefore advisable to have your hearing checked periodically, to fully understand your hearing health and to be able to address any hearing issues that arise, the most common being hearing loss and tinnitus.
A hearing check-up is made up of several tests carried out by a qualified healthcare professional, such as a hearing care professional.
Bienestar Audio’s 360º hearing test
At Centro Auditivo Juan Llorens, we offer our patients free hearing tests in Valencia, which can include various tests depending on the patient.
Book a free hearing check-up by calling 621 00 16 93
In the first part of the check-up, the outer and middle ear are examined to assess their condition and check for any object blocking the external auditory canal. If any abnormality is found in this area, the hearing care professional will refer you to an ENT specialist.
A full 360º hearing check-up requires a series of tests that will depend on the patient’s condition. The tests available at our centres are as follows:
- Air conduction pure-tone audiometry to determine the hearing threshold.
- Bone conduction pure-tone audiometry to identify the type of hearing loss.
- Speech audiometry to assess understanding.
- Pain threshold test for loud noises.
- Impedance testing or tympanometry.
- Video otoscopy.
Air Conduction Pure-Tone Audiometry
Pure-tone audiometry is the most common hearing test and will determine whether hearing is normal, but like all the other tests covered here, it must always be performed and interpreted by qualified healthcare staff.
This test aims to identify the patient’s hearing levels through the middle ear, making it possible to identify the degree and type of hearing loss. To carry out this test, the patient wears headphones in a controlled environment, such as a soundproof booth or an isolated room. The audiologist then plays a sequence of tones at different volumes and frequencies until the patient responds, recording these responses on the patient’s audiogram.
Bone Conduction Pure-Tone Audiometry
Bone conduction pure-tone audiometry is similar to the previous test, but in this case the tone is transmitted through the bone located behind the ear. It’s a painless procedure in which the hearing care professional uses special headphones that vibrate the bone with each tone. This test is used to check whether the inner ear is working correctly, and its results are also plotted on the audiogram.
Book a free hearing check-up by calling 621 00 16 93
Speech Audiometry as Part of the Hearing Test
Speech audiometry is a hearing test that assesses the patient’s ability to hear and understand spoken language.
The results of a speech audiometry test can measure the patient’s ability to understand conversations, since hearing and understanding are two completely different things.
During the test, the patient must repeat two-syllable words dictated by the hearing care professional. Finally, the number of correctly identified words is counted at different intensity levels. In this way, the test aims to assess the patient’s ability to understand spoken language through word discrimination.
There are two phases to the speech audiometry test: the discrimination percentage test and the speech reception threshold search test.
Speech audiometry allows us to assess hearing efficiency and complement pure-tone audiometry in the expert assessment of hearing loss, the topographic diagnosis of hearing loss, and the study of central hearing loss using special vocal tests.
Ultimately, even though it can’t measure the patient’s hearing level tone by tone, it gives us an approximate idea of the degree of hearing loss the patient has and their level of isolation.
When the results of these tests aren’t good, hearing aids are usually the best way to help patients improve their perception of sound.
Pain Threshold Test
Do noises bother you? Do you notice you’re especially sensitive to external noise? This test is designed to identify hearing hypersensitivity problems. Hyperacusis is a reduction in a person’s tolerance thresholds for sound, causing them discomfort.
Book a free hearing check-up by calling 621 00 16 93
This test is also used to correctly measure the dynamic range of the person being tested and to correctly program hearing aids.
This test does involve a certain level of discomfort, since it needs to reach the patient’s discomfort threshold, but it’s necessary for a thorough hearing check-up and for correctly fitting hearing aids.
Impedance Testing or Tympanometry
Tympanometry is another of the tests we carry out as part of our 360º hearing check-up, and it lets us measure the resistance, or impedance, the middle ear presents when sound passes through it.
This test is painless and allows us to check whether the middle ear has any kind of damage.
Video Otoscopy
Thanks to our video otoscope, we can record and analyse otoscopy findings in greater detail.
This procedure also allows us to show the patient their condition, if needed.
Book your hearing test
To book an appointment for a completely free hearing check-up, call us on:
Remember, hearing check-ups are the best way to look after your hearing health, and you should aim to have one at least once a year. If any condition is detected, our hearing care professionals will refer you to your ENT specialist so they can diagnose the most suitable treatment.
It’s a complete audiological check-up that assesses the patient’s hearing health, including tests such as audiometry, tympanometry and video otoscopy.
Having at least one hearing check-up a year lets you know the state of your hearing health and get ahead of any possible future problems.
It includes audiometry to assess hearing ability, a pain threshold test for loud noises, tympanometry to analyse the health of the middle ear, and video otoscopy to view the ear canal and eardrum.
Tympanometry is a diagnostic test used to assess the health of the middle ear and the mobility of the eardrum and the chain of adjoining bones.
Air conduction pure-tone audiometry is the most common hearing test and must be carried out by a qualified professional. It assesses the patient’s hearing levels through the middle ear, determining the degree and type of hearing loss. It’s performed in an isolated environment, where the hearing care professional plays tones at different volumes and frequencies, recording the responses on an audiogram. Bone conduction pure-tone audiometry, on the other hand, uses vibrations on the bone behind the ear to assess how the inner ear is functioning, and its results are also plotted on the audiogram.
