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    Hearing Tests

    Hearing Tests



    Results

    A hearing test is part of an ear examination that evaluates a person's ability to hear.

    Hearing test results
    Normal
    • You are able to hear whispered speech accurately.
    • You can hear tones at equal loudness in both ears.
    • You are able to repeat 90% to 95% of the words in a word recognition test.
    • The microphone detects emissions from the inner ear in otoacoustic emissions (OAE) testing.
    • The values recorded on the graph for auditory brain stem response (ABR) testing show that the nerves in the brain responsible for hearing are working normally.
    Abnormal
    • You are not able to hear the whispers during a whispered speech test, or you are able to hear with one ear but not with the other.
    • You hear the tone more loudly in one ear than in the other.
    • You can only hear certain sounds at high decibel levels.
    • You can hear sounds but you cannot understand words.
    • No emissions are detected from the inner ear in otoacoustic emissions (OAE) testing.
    • The values recorded on the graph for auditory brain stem response (ABR) testing show that nerves in the brain responsible for hearing are not functioning normally.

     

    Sound is described in terms of frequency and intensity. Your hearing threshold is how loud the sound of a certain frequency must be for you to hear it.

    • Frequency, or pitch (whether a sound is low or high), is measured in vibrations per second, or hertz (Hz). The human ear can normally hear frequencies from a very low rumble of 16 Hz to a high-pitched whine of 20,000 Hz. The frequencies of normal conversations in a quiet place are 500 Hz to 2,000 Hz.
    • Intensity, or loudness, is measured in decibels (dB). The normal range (threshold or lower limit) of hearing is 0 dB to 25 dB. For children, the normal range is 0 dB to 15 dB. Normal results shows that you hear within these ranges in both ears.

    The following table relates how loud a sound must be for a person to hear it (hearing thresholds) to the degree of hearing loss for adults:

    Hearing loss table
    Hearing threshold in decibels (dB) Degree of hearing loss Ability to hear speech

    0–25 dB

    None

    No significant difficulty

    26–40 dB

    Mild

    Difficulty with faint or distant speech

    41–55 dB

    Moderate

    Difficulty with conversational speech

    56–70 dB

    Moderate to severe

    Speech must be loud; difficulty with group conversation

    71–90 dB

    Severe

    Difficulty with loud speech; understands only shouted or amplified speech

    91+ dB

    Profound

    May not understand amplified speech




    By: Reference Healthwise Staff Last Revised: Reference October 25, 2011
    Medical Review: Reference Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine
    Reference Steven T. Kmucha, MD - Otolaryngology


    This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Reference Terms of Use. Reference How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.


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