The thought of losing your hearing can be worrying and you may not want to think about it, but the sooner you do something, the better.  The onset of hearing loss is often slow and may not be obvious to start with however there are a number of indications that you may need a hearing test

• Do other people seem to mumble rather than speak clearly to you?
• Do people often have to repeat things for you before you understand what they say?
• Do you have difficulty understanding what is being said in noisy places, such as pubs or restaurants, even though other people manage to have conversations?
• When you are talking to people in a group, is it hard to keep up with the conversation?
• Do you find it tiring to listen to conversations because you have to concentrate hard?
• Do other people think your television or music is too loud but you cannot hear it properly if they turn it down?
• Do you often have difficulty hearing on the telephone?

What tests does an audiologist carry out?

There are a variety of hearing tests - some which require the person to co-operate, known as subjective tests, and others which can measure hearing without co-operation, known as objective tests. These are some of the tests which may be used:

Pure tone audiometry - this uses a machine called an audiometer which produces accurately measured sounds across a range of pitches and volumes. Each ear is tested separately using headphones. The person has to indicate the softest level at which they can hear each pitch, and these results are marked on a chart, or audiogram. This can measure the hearing loss in each ear separately.

Free field audiometry - this is a similar test, but headphones are not used. This means that both ears are tested together and therefore gives an indication of how a person can hear in an everyday situation.

Distraction test - low and high-pitched sounds are made on each side of the person's head in line with their ears. The patient shows they have heard it by turning to look at the source of sound. This test is used with young babies.

Bone conduction test - can show if the middle ear is impaired. A bone conductor is placed behind the ear on the mastoid bone. Signals are passed directly to the inner ear or cochlea and bypass the middle ear.

Tympanometry - this test involves automatic examination of the middle ear using a probe which painlessly applies differing air pressure to the ear drum. The results can indicate the presence of a conductive hearing loss.

If a person is known to have hearing loss or a known problem, then their hearing should be tested annually. Hearing tests should also be routine for people over the age of 60.