Different Types of Tests

Certain sounds bring a smile to your face and fill your heart with happiness, like the voices of your loved ones. If you find it difficult to hear the sounds that are dear to you, there is always a solution.

Al Madina Hearing provides a range of distinct and innovative tests to help measure your hearing or your child’s hearing. These highly efficient hearing tests will be conducted on both ears by professional specialists.

During the test, the audiologist plays sound clips into the ears of the person inside the testing booth and observes his or her reaction every time a sound is heard.

The frequency of the sounds used in the tests range from 250 to 8000 Hz. This range reflects the frequencies of the sounds of language letters in the world and the most common frequencies.

The tone is transferred from the outer ear to the inner ear either through the ear canal (air conduction) or through the bone surrounding the ears (bone conduction).

Otoscope: An examination of the ear canal, eardrum and middle ear to see the ear clearly and observe the presence of any abnormalities.

Middle Ear Pressure Measurement: Performed by a specialized device that measures middle ear pressure, eardrum membrane condition and Eustachian tube function. This allows us to predict the possibility of ear infections.

Audiogram Test: Measures your ability to hear pure tones, such as middle C and higher notes, through air and bones.

Pure Tone Audiometry is of two types:

1- Air Conduction: The sounds are emitted via headphones on both ears to check air conduction. Some tones are to sounded through the headphones into each ear. After that, the frequency and pitch of the tones are changed to determine the lowest sounds you can hear. Finally, you are asked to give a signal by lifting your hand or pressing the button whenever you hear the tone, and your responses are recorded on the audiogram.

2- Bone Conduction: A vibrating device is placed on the ears or forehead. The vibrations across the skull bypass any obstructions in the outer and middle ear. Your responses are also recorded on the audiogram. However, if the hearing results when the sound is connected across the skull are better than through the air-filled passages in the outer ear and middle ear, it means there is a problem preventing sound from entering through the outer and middle ear, which is a conductive hearing loss.

Speech Reception Threshold: A recorded audio clip is played through headphones and when patients hear the spoken words, they repeat them or point to their images. The sound gradually begins to decrease in volume until the patient becomes unable to hear it. This process enables the audiologist to recognize the patient’s speech reception threshold, the lowest level of speech at which the patient can understand at least half of what is being said.

Word Recognition Test: This test determines the threshold at which a patient can recognize words with a single audio clip. The audiologist will pronounce words or play the recording in a clear and steady voice while the patient repeats these words or points to their images. The total score reflects the number of words the patient successfully recognized. The words are pronounced in a specific way to determine the level of your hearing in natural speech. In addition, noise is introduced in the background from time to time to see how distraction affects understanding. This test helps us find out whether the hearing aid is improving your hearing or not.