Ear Testing in Spain

The ear is divided into the outer, middle, and inner ear. Sound waves come into the outer ear and hit the eardrum causing it to vibrate.

Behind the eardrum in the middle ear are three tiny bones which transfer these vibrations into the middle ear and onwards to the cochlea in the inner ear.

The cochlea converts the vibrations to sound signals which are sent down the ear nerve into the brain which allows us to hear.

A hearing test often comprises a number of different examinations which can determine whether or not you are suffering from hearing loss, and to what extent. In many cases the examinations may also determine the causes of the hearing loss.

An audiologist will often start the examination by asking questions about whether you have been subjected to loud noise and do other members of your family suffer from hearing impairment? Your ears will be examined with an otoscope which helps to determine whether the hearing loss is due to damage to the ear canal or the eardrum.

The next phase of the examination is the main hearing test which is conducted in a closed, soundproof room. Your hearing ability depends on your ear drum sensitivity and the tests below help the audiologist determine the extent of your hearing loss:

The middle ear test is done by inserting a small probe into the ear canal which can detect how the air pressure reacts (increases or decreases) while listening to different sounds.

During the pure tone test the audiologist will examine your hearing ability by letting you listen to a number of different pure tones through a pair of headphones or earplugs. Each ear will be tested individually and when you hear a tone you will be asked to press a button or raise your hand. The test results are illustrated as a graph or audiogram and show your hearing threshold - the softest sounds you are able to hear at different frequencies.

The speech test is a method of measuring your ability to hear and understand ordinary conversation and is similar to the pure tone test, but instead you listen to certain words spoken at different volumes, which you are asked to repeat.