A comprehensive hearing evaluation is designed to answer more than “Can you hear the beep?” It helps determine how well you hear different pitches, how clearly you understand speech, whether the middle ear is functioning normally, and whether the pattern suggests a need for treatment or medical referral.

Health and hearing history

Your audiologist will ask about hearing difficulty, tinnitus, dizziness, noise exposure, ear infections, medications, family history, and situations where communication is hardest.

Otoscopy

The ear canals and eardrums are inspected for earwax, irritation, drainage, perforation, or other findings that could affect testing.

Middle-ear testing

Tympanometry measures how the eardrum and middle ear respond to changes in air pressure. Acoustic reflex testing may also be used when clinically appropriate.

Pure-tone testing

You respond to very soft tones across different frequencies. This identifies the softest sounds you can detect. Air- and bone-conduction testing helps determine the degree and type of hearing loss.

Speech testing

Speech tests measure how softly you can detect speech and how accurately you understand words at an audible level. These results can help explain why two people with similar audiograms may have different communication experiences. For example, testing may look at your ability to distinguish between words such as “bat” and “pat” without visual cues or conversational context.

Reviewing the results

At the end, the audiologist will explain the audiogram in plain language, discuss whether the findings are medically concerning, and review options such as monitoring, hearing aids, assistive technology, or referral.

If you are ready to schedule, visit Our Locations or contact Merit Hearing.