Hearing Evaluation

How We Hear

When Should You Have a Baseline Hearing Evaluation?

Like many other health screenings, it is good practice to have a baseline hearing evaluation by age 60, if not before, when you experience issues with your hearing ability like the following conditions.

You notice difficulty understanding a conversation in noise.
You have presence of tinnitus (ear noise like ringing in the ear).
You have a history of family hearing loss.
You have a history of loud noise exposure.

What is a Diagnostic Hearing Evaluation?

To determine the unique aspects of your hearing loss, the hearing evaluation will include a physical (ear) examination, pure tone hearing test as well as a test of your understanding of speech in both quiet and noisy situations.

The final step of the appointment includes: consultation after the hearing assessment to discuss the results, reason for medical referral if indicated, recommendation for amplification or other assistive listening devices if appropriate, and discussion of strategies to improve communication. Bringing a spouse or other family member is beneficial when discussing communication repair strategies

Discover Audiology will provide a complete audiology and hearing care service including audiological evaluations, hearing loss rehabilitation, and counseling.

Schedule Your Hearing Appointment

What is the Impact of Hearing Loss on an Individual?

Individuals with even a mild hearing loss are three times more at risk of experiencing unexpected, injury-causing falls.

We hear with our brains, so untreated hearing loss can lead to cognitive difficulties and increase the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s.

If left untreated, hearing loss impacts the quality of life.

Loss of interest in daily life, depression, anxiety, and isolation can happen with increased hearing loss.

Hearing loss in adults is typically gradual; therefore, these changes can be mistaken for dementia in the senior population.

What's the Difference Between an Audiologist and a Hearing Specialist?

Many different levels of care exist for those who need hearing help. A hearing professional’s education, experience, and scope of practice will vary widely.

Audiologists are required to hold an undergraduate degree generally in health sciences followed by 3 to 4 years post graduate education earning a Clinical Doctorate (Au.,D.) or Research Doctorate (PhD) in Audiology.

An Audiologist is trained to identify ear, hearing, and balance disorders as they occur in isolation or are related to other health conditions. They recognize communication disabilities as a result of hearing loss, and recommend treatment options including medical referrals when indicated and the dispensing of hearing devices.

Audiologist serve patients of all ages; newborn to senior adult. Their scope of practice also includes cerumen (ear wax) removal. Where as Hearing Instrument Specialists are not licensed to do this type of procedure.

Audiologists are certified by the American Speech and Hearing Association upon completion of an educational program and National exam.

Hearing Instrument Specialists are now required in some states to obtain an Associate Degree in Hearing Science. While others are only required to have a high school diploma and pass a state exam. Most states limit their scope of practice to the dispensing of hearing devices to adults.

The State of Missouri requires registration and licensure for both professions. Medicare, Medicaid, and Insurances only recognize an Audiologist as a professional equipped to provide a Diagnostic Hearing Evaluation.

Is it Hearing Loss...or Something Else?

Adults with hearing loss left untreated are more likely to report depression, anxiety, and paranoia and they are at a higher risk for dementia when left untreated. Senior adults naturally experience more difficulty with rapid speech due to the aging brain. What might seem like the beginning signs of dementia, could be signs of hearing loss.

The simultaneous presence of two or more diseases or medical conditions such as heart disease, small vessel vascular disease or diabetes, can cause changes in blood supply, thus oxygen saturation. The inner ear requires a delicate balance of oxygen. It is open to irreversible damage when other chronic medical conditions are not well managed.

The associated conditions of tinnitus (ear noise) to one ear or both can occur as an isolated symptom or in conjunction with hearing loss.

Likewise, dizziness or vertigo can occur as a result of an acute or chronic inner ear disorder. This condition can also be the result of an underlying neurologic or vascular disorder. A comprehensive evaluation of an individual's hearing often assists your primary physician in determining a diagnosis or make appropriate referrals to a Specialist.