3/27/2023 0 Comments Audiotest with audiogram![]() ![]() The test from “Action on Hearing Loss” in the UK, only tested the listener’s ability to hear English digits in increasing background noise. Of the 5 free hearing test apps I tried on myself (Hearing-Check by Action on Hearing Loss, Hearing Check by Bxtel, uHear by Unitron, Mimi Test, and SoundCheck by Starkey), each offered something different. My point is that this is valuable information but it is not what we are referring to when the terms “hearing test” and “hearing loss” are used. But speech-in-noise testing alone isn’t a “hearing test” by the medical definition and having poor speech understanding in noise doesn’t mean you have a hearing loss. Speech-in-noise testing usually provides very useful information about how the person actually hears in the real world, not just if they can hear soft beeps or understand words in absolute quiet. There are a variety of tests to measure this but they are typically only done as part of evaluation for a cochlear implant, auditory processing abilities, or with hearing aids. One thing a standard hearing test (in the US) does not evaluate, is how well we understand speech in the presence of background noise. It isn’t rocket science, but it isn’t as simple as it may seem to get reliable results quickly and it gets increasingly complicated with different types and degrees of hearing loss, as well as the cognitive ability of the patient. Then this is repeated with a different kind of headphone for some of the frequencies listed above. I then increase the volume until they respond again, then decrease it until they stop, and so on, until I find their threshold (the softest sound they can hear consistently) for 2000, 4000, 8000, 500, and 250 Hz in both ears. When I perform an audiogram, I evaluate the patient’s ability to hear a pulsing, 1000Hz tone (“beep beep beep”) through one headphone at a time, by presenting it an one volume, waiting for a response in a particular window of time after the tones are presented, and then making the volume softer until the patient no longer responds. It also determine the type of heairng loss the person has – conductive or sensorineural – which is very important. A “comprehensive audiogram” also includes speech testing in which the patient repeats back the words presented to them (or points to an image corresponding to the word). Today let’s check out “Hearing Test Apps.”įirst off, what is the medical definition of a standard hearing test?Ī hearing test, or audiogram, aims to find the softest volume a person can consistently (at least 2 out of every 3 times) hear pure tones of a specific range of frequencies, in both ears. Another day I will touch on smart phone apps for use with hearing aids, as well as use of apps instead of hearing aids (you can read about that here also). One example is a hearing aid app that detects when the user is driving (going faster than 10 mph) and automatically switches them in to a “car” setting that focuses on reducing road noise without inhibiting all around awareness of traffic sounds. ![]() ![]() They can also wirelessly interface with some hearing aids to improve personalization and environmental optimization of settings. These are the strictly acoustic ways these devices can help us. Smart phones have a great deal of potential when it comes to revolutionizing life with hearing loss.Įquipped with quality microphones and headphone output and real-time noise reduction, most phones can assess our listening environments, deliver consistent sound quality, and even improve speech clarity for phone calls. ![]()
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