Hearing Tests and Consultations

Adults / Pensioners & Veterans / Work Cover

At Hearingworks, Kew we perform full diagnostic hearing tests. These hearing tests take approximately one hour to complete. Full hearing tests are necessary to determine the cause and severity of your hearing loss.

At Hearingworks, Kew, our consulting room is completely soundproofed and calibrated on an annual basis. So, there is no need for a traditional hearing testing booth, which many find uncomfortable and claustrophobic.

The results of a full hearing test are plotted on a graph known as an audiogram. It shows the softest sounds you can hear at different pitches (or frequencies). If you can hear very soft sounds the crosses on the graph are plotted at the top. If any of the crosses fall below a line that indicates ‘normal hearing’, then you might have a hearing loss.

The audiogram can also help your audiologist to determine the type of hearing loss you might have. This could be;

• conductive (sounds are not reaching your inner ear),
• sensorineural (issues in your inner ear or with the nerves in your brain), or.
• mixed (both conductive and sensorineural).

Discovering the type of hearing loss you have will your audiologist to design an aural rehabilitation program to help you to achieve your hearing and communication goals.

Referral to a doctor may be necessary if, for example, there is middle ear fluid, vertigo, asymmetrical hearing loss or unilateral tinnitus.

*Pensioners and Veterans are eligible for fully subsidised hearing tests.

Children

Hearing loss is the most common developmental disorder in newborns and young children. So, it is extremely important to determine as soon as possible if your child is experiencing hearing difficulties, as a hearing loss will impact their speech development with associated delays in cognitive, social and behavioural advancement.

Before evaluating your child’s hearing, your audiologist will ask about their health history, including ear infections, viruses (including Covid-19) and if any family members have a hearing loss.

The most appropriate type of hearing test for children is based on their age:

• Behavioural audiometry is a screening test used for infants that allows the audiologist to observe an infant’s behaviour in response to certain sound;
• Play audiometry is used for testing toddlers’ hearing. It uses a machine to transmit sounds at different volumes and pitches into the child’s ears;
• Pure tone audiometry is used for older children. It also uses a machine that produces sounds at different volumes and pitches in the child’s ears;
• Tympanometry, also called impedance audiometry, is used to determine how the middle ear is functioning.

Please note, if your child is a newborn, we recommend that you immediately ask your GP for a referral to the Royal Childrens’ Hospital, who have audiologists who specialise in testing very young children.

Book a hearing test today