Hearing loss due to aging is affecting about a 3rd of older Americans aged 65 to 85, according to the National Institutes of Health. Affected seniors have problems in understanding and responding to conversation.
Hearing loss has effects on the old disproportionately, but it also is affecting the young, even new-borns. A collection of tests, including audiometry, general screening, Tune Fork, BAER and Otoacoustic Emissions can help identify the cause and treatment.
The general screening test is the first test performed either as routine care or linked with hearing issues, and it is done on each ear separately. Te supplier will speak words at different levels so as to check how the patient reacts to sound level. The patient will often be asked to repeat the words. If he is having issues hearing the words, the supplier will talk loudly to see if the reply changes.
Tuning Fork Tests involve two-pronged instruments, which create a tone while vibrating. The provide will typically strike the instrument, leading it to vibrate and make a sound. The vibrations made are used to pinpoint the patient’s capability to hear different sound frequencies in the vibrating area of the middle ear and the eardrum.
The Tuning Fork Test is also used to test for damage sensors, damage of the nerves in the internal ear, or damage in both areas. Based on the patient’s capability to hear the sound, the health care provider will be able to determine whether the hearing loss is due solely to the nerves or if the difficulty is the sound reaching the nerves.
The Pure Tone Audiometry procedure is performed using an audiometer machine, which measures hearing tones thru a headphone so as to determine hearing loss. The testing is done by an audiologist who controls the tone and volume of the sounds in the earphones. The patient presses a button or lifts his hand when he hears the sound and the provider keeps changing the sound to test when the patient isn't able to hear it. The audiologist will then increase the volume and repeat the test.
Auditory Brain Stem Reply (ABR) or (BAER) brain stem auditory evoke response is a test planning to identify sensorineural hearing loss by placing electrodes on the scalp and on each earlobe. Clicking noises are then broadcast through the ear[hones and the electrodes measure the brain reaction to the clicking sound. The response is recorded on a graph.
Lastly, Otoacoustic Emissions Testing (OAE) is a screening test tool used to test the hearing of new born babies. Testing involves placing a small mike in the ear canal, which perceives any response to sounds in the interior ear.
Jeremy J. Ross is a recognized analyst in aging science and he is doing studies on age spots. To discover more about aging research visit http://www.AmericanAgingResearch.org