Hearing checks or screenings
They are also used by employers, including the Victoria Police, to establish baseline hearing thresholds against which later assessments can be compared.
Otoscopic inspection
This simply involves looking into the ear canal to check the condition of the ear canal and eardrum. The audiologist will simply be looking for anything that may effect the results of further hearing assessment, such as infection and excessive earwax (As shown in main image).
Pure tone audiometry
The simplest way to test hearing is called pure tone audiometry. This involves being played a series of beeps and whistles, called pure tones, through headphones or earphones and indicating when you can hear them.
The purpose of the screening will find the quietest sounds that you can hear at four frequency bands common to human speech, namely 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz.
The quietest sounds you can hear, known as hearing thresholds, will be marked on a graph called an audiogram.
This information will determine the degree and type of hearing loss you may have. Hearing loss is measured in decibels (dB), which measure intensity, and pitch in hertz (Hz), which measures frequency. Hearing loss is usually described as normal hearing, mild hearing loss, moderate hearing loss, moderately-severe hearing loss, severe hearing loss, or profound hearing loss.
