Hearing tests in Swords, Malahide & North County Dublin

Signs of Hearing Loss?

You feel stressed in social situations because you can’t follow the conversation, you are constantly turning up the TV, your partner is frustrated at having to repeat themselves, If more than a few of these are familiar to you, there may be an underlying problem with your hearing. However, don’t think that this means you have a hearing loss. The underlying issue might not be hearing loss, it could be an earwax problem.

Either Way, You Will Benefit From A Hearing Test

It is estimated that in Ireland 17% of the population has some sort of hearing loss. However, there are many easily detectable signs to catch it early. These include:

• Feeling like other people are mumbling and not speaking clearly
• Finding it hard to follow conversations in crowded situations
• People saying the television is too loud when you think it’s fine and possibly even using subtitles to follow what’s being said

Just like our eyesight, your hearing has its natural ageing process. The majority of people experience gradual hearing loss through the course of life. But new digital hearing aid technology can manage that hearing loss in 95% of all cases and help you to regain a better quality of life. However, before you can know what treatment may be right for you, you need an in-depth assessment of your hearing. That’s why we offer a hearing test that covers all the bases. Let’s talk about the hearing test.

The Consultation

Your appointment will last approximately 1.5 hours. Once you arrive we will discuss your hearing with you, we may ask questions about your lifestyle and health. This will help us understand the possible causes of any hearing problems

• Examination of the ear and auditory canal, including video otoscopy
• Full audiometric hearing assessment
• Explanation and discussion of the outcome
• Impartial advice on the most suited hearing system for your individual requirement

Case History

Initially, we will ask you a few questions about your hearing and general health. This is to get a clear idea about your general health, your medical history and any effect it might have on your hearing.

Examination of the Ear

We will examine the outside of your ears first, then we will look in your ears to ensure that they are free of ear wax and healthy. We provide videotoscopy which is specialist video tool that allows you to see your ear canal and ear drum.

The Soundbooth

we test your hearing in a calibrated Soundbooth because when we need to find the softest sound you can hear, you need quiet. Only a Soundbooth can deliver that silence.

Audiometry ( Hearing Test)

This group of tests is plotted on an audiogram which shows your hearing sensitivity. It answers the question of whether or not hearing sensitivity is within the normal range, or if there is a hearing loss or hearing sensitivity that is outside of the range of normal. The test results are also used as a tool to reveal any asymmetry (hearing sensitivity that is not equal between the two ears). The audiometric configuration (the “shape” of the thresholds) and the rest of the group of tests also give us information toward a diagnosis of ear abnormalities.

How it is performed

This battery of tests involves carefully listening through headphones that are placed over the ears or insert earphones that are placed in the ear canals. Next, pure tones will be presented through the headphones or insert earphones, as well as through a bone conduction vibrator on a headband that is placed behind the ear. You will listen for the softest level you can detect, and will push a button or raise your hand in response. This will determine your hearing thresholds. Additional tests may be added to the group of tests if asymmetry of thresholds is found, or if you have tinnitus or dizziness.

Hearing Aid Benefit Assessment

If you are a suitable candidate for hearing aids, we will then move onto a hearing aid benefit assessment. During this test, we use our fitting suite to fit a set of suitable hearing aids to your defined loss. We then use Real Ear Measurement (REM) to verify that the devices are delivering the amplification that you need. We will then undertake aided speech tests to ascertain the benefit delivered.

Please contact us if you would like any more details on this service or you would like to speak To Us About Earwax Removal

Call us on 01 845 6611 for earwax removal in Swords, Malahide or North County Dublin