Mac Hearing offers a range of diagnostic hearing tests which are tailored to provide information to doctors, allied health professionals, teachers, employers, and yourself. Our experience and ability to provide hearing support at all levels, enables us to decide quickly and efficiently what needs to be done to achieve your desired hearing outcomes.
Pure Tone Audiometry
You will be asked to press a hand held button whenever you hear a sound played to you. Tones of varying frequency and intensity will be played, with the loudness of the sounds being reduced until you’re unable to hear them.
Speech Perception Testing
You will be asked to repeat a word or sentence you hear on a recorded list to determine any hearing conditions. The words will be played to you at soft and at moderate sound levels.
Objective Testing
Tympanometry
What it tests:
- fluid in the middle ear
- perforation of the eardrum
- wax blocking the ear canal
- mobility of the eardrum.
How it works: by pushing air pressure into the ear canal, making the eardrum move back and forth.
Acoustic reflex measures
What it tests: the contraction of the tiny muscle in the middle ear
How it works: by playing different levels of sound to test the acoustic reflex to determine the type of hearing loss.
Otoacoustic emissions
What it tests:
- damage to the tiny hair cells in the cochlea
How it works: by measuring the sound that the inner ear echoes back when played a sound. These are measured with a small probe inserted into the ear canal.
Cochlear Implant Assessment
Medical examination:
You will be sent an appointment to see an ENT Surgeon who specialises in cochlear implants. He/she will carry out an examination of the ears and assess your overall medical fitness.
A CT scan will usually be required, since it is important to find out whether it will be possible to insert an electrode into your cochlea. The test is painless. However, you should not have it done if you think you might be pregnant or have recently had another CT scan.
Some patients will be asked to undergo an additional type of scan, an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Image) to obtain additional information.
Hearing Tests:
You will, of course, have a number of hearing tests, and you may undergo a hearing aid trial. It is important to find out whether a hearing aid can offer more benefit than a cochlear implant, so your hearing ability through the hearing aid will be tested with recorded speech tests.
Counselling about Expectations and Rehabilitation:
Insertion of a cochlear implant is only the start of a journey. You are encouraged to bring a family member/friend to your cochlear implant assessment, and we will explain the process in detail. As a cochlear implant recipient, you will have a global support network, with lifelong hearing support.