Hearing Tests

BC Specific Information Message

Hearing loss is the reduced ability to hear sounds. It can occur at any age and can be a gradual or sudden loss. Depending on the cause, hearing loss can be mild or severe, temporary or permanent. For more information on hearing loss, visit HealthLinkBC File #71a Hearing loss in children, and HealthLinkBC File #71c Hearing loss in adults. For more information on hearing tests for infants and children, visit HealthLinkBC File #71b Hearing Tests for Infants and Children.

If you or your child is experiencing hearing loss symptoms or have questions about hearing loss, you can call 8-1-1 to speak with a registered nurse.

Test Overview

A hearing (audiometric) test is part of a full hearing health evaluation that measures a person's ability to hear sound.

The sounds we hear start as vibrations in our environment that make sound waves, which vibrate at a certain speed (frequency) and have a certain height (amplitude). The vibration speed of a sound wave determines how high or low a sound is (pitch). The height of the sound wave determines how loud the sound is (volume).

Hearing happens when these sound waves travel through the ear and are turned into nerve impulses. These nerve impulses are sent to the brain, which "hears" them.

  • Sound waves enter the ear through the ear canal (external ear). Then they strike the eardrum (tympanic membrane). The eardrum separates the ear canal and the middle ear.
  • The eardrum vibrates, and the vibrations move through the bones of the middle ear. In response, the bones of the middle ear vibrate, which boosts the sound and sends it to the inner ear.
  • The fluid-filled, curved space of the inner ear, sometimes called the labyrinth, contains the main sensory organ of hearing. This organ is called the cochlea. Sound vibrations cause the fluid in the inner ear to move, which bends tiny hair cells (cilia) in the cochlea. The movement of the hair cells creates nerve impulses. These nerve impulses then travel along the cochlear nerve to the brain and are read as sound.

Hearing tests help find what kind of hearing loss you have. The tests measure how well you can hear sounds that reach the inner ear through the ear canal. They also measure sounds that are spread through the skull.

Most hearing tests ask you to respond to a series of tones or words. But there are some hearing tests that do not require a response.

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