Diagnosis of Hearing Loss

Symptoms of hearing loss can be obvious: a person with hearing loss may require words or phrases to be repeated, may have trouble hearing in places with background noise or in open areas where echoing is present, and telephone or other auditory device use is difficult. A person may also constantly increase the volume on a television or radio in order to hear the audio. Unilateral hearing loss is normally indicated when a person must always turn his or her head to a certain position in order to hear another person speaking.

Balance and hearing are highly associated because the auditory and balance systems are both contained in the inner ear. These systems share bone space and use the same fluid as the inner ear. Loss of balance can indicate a problem with the inner ear, which may also be reflected in a loss of hearing.

 

Testing Hearing Loss

A person with hearing loss symptoms should be immediately tested. A number of different types of tests and a number of different types of hearing professionals are available to asses a person’s auditory capability. Hearing tests include simple tests such as clapping the hands, whispering or tuning forks, or electronic tests such as audiometry, that require wearing head phones and listening to certain tones. Other more sophisticated imaging tests, such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), may be used if a tumor or other auditory nerve problems are suspected as the source for hearing loss.

During the examination, the patient should tell the doctor when the hearing loss was first noticed and any other symptoms that may have occurred during the same time period, such as loss of balance, inner ear infections, head trauma, etc. The hearing professional can then use this information to better evaluate the hearing loss and determine the appropriate cause and potential treatment.

 

Hearing Professionals

A number of different types of medical professionals may be involved during hearing testing and treatment.  An audiologist is a Ph.D. who is an expert in auditory testing, evaluation, and the fitting of hearing aids. An otolaryngologist is a M.D. (medical doctor) who specializes in Ear, Nose and Throat (also known as an ENT). An ENT may be involved in the diagnosis and medical or surgical treatment. Audiological physicians focus on diagnosing and surgically treating hearing loss with special treatments such as cochlear implants.