Working Together to Hear Better

Our ability to communicate effectively is a complex culmination of many factors that allow us to exchange information and connect with one another. Hearing and understanding our loved ones is a vital mental exercise that helps guard against personality and memory changes often associated with hearing loss. Being able to truly understand each other fulfills us and makes us happy!

Changes in our environment—such as background noise—can make it more difficult to follow conversations with friends, family, and coworkers. As an audiologist, I am licensed to diagnose and treat individuals who feel they are having trouble not just hearing their loved ones, but understanding spoken communication so they can fully participate in the world around them.

During your visit, I begin with an otoscopic examination to look for cerumen (earwax) or other foreign bodies in the ear canal. Once the ear is clear, I perform a visual inspection of the ear canal and eardrum, followed by tympanometry, a pressure test that evaluates the health of the middle ear system.

Pure-tone testing under headphones measures hearing sensitivity across the critical frequencies responsible for understanding speech, while bone conduction testing determines the location of hearing loss—whether it originates in the middle ear or the inner ear/nerve system. If middle ear involvement is suspected, a referral to an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist may be made for further treatment.

Speech testing in both quiet and noisy environments helps determine the integrity of the patient’s overall hearing system. Following these diagnostic tests, I take the time to explain your results and answer all questions to ensure you fully understand the status of your hearing health.