HEARING TESTING Sierra Hearing Center provides comprehensive hearing evaluations allowing us to determine whether you have a hearing loss, and if so the degree and type. Test procedures most frequently used are: 1) pure-tone air conduction, 2) speech reception threshold, 3) speech discrimination, 4) pure-tone bone conduction, and 5) impedance audiometry. Instructions are provided prior to each test. For all of these tests, the patient is seated in a soundproof room. They are asked questions regarding their hearing health, and their hearing problems and concerns are discussed. The patient’s ear canals are then visually examined using an otoscope 1) Headphones are worn during air conduction testing. During this test, the audiologist is trying to find the softest sounds the patient is able to hear at each test pitch. The patient will be asked to press a button whenever they hear a sound or tone. 2) The next test is speech reception threshold. During this test, the audiologist is trying to find the softest level the patient is able to hear words. The patient is asked to repeat a list of words as they become softer. Headphones are worn during this test. 3) While wearing headphones, the patient is given another list of words. This is the speech discrimination test. In this test, the audiologist is trying to determine how well the patient understands speech. 4) A specialized headset is worn during bone conduction testing. One part is placed on the bone behind the patient’s ear (mastoid bone). Again, the patient is asked to press a button whenever they hear a tone or sound at each test pitch. Results from this test allow the audiologist to determine type of hearing loss. This test is only performed as needed. 5) A specialized probe is placed in the patient’s ear during impedance audiometry. The pressure is changed against the eardrum to determine the health of the middle ear. There is no discomfort during this test procedure. This test is only performed as needed.