How Do You Understand Hearing Test Results?
A hearing test is done on a graph called an audiogram. Audiograms represent your hearing sensitivity and determine whether or not you have a hearing loss. The frequencies are recorded from left to right. The most left of the graph is the lowest pitch, and the most right of the graph is the highest pitch. The soft sounds are marked on the top of the graph, and the loud sounds are marked on the bottom of the graph. Your left ear is marked with X’s and your right ear is marked with O’s. Find the line on the graph that is marked “20.” The part from the “0” line to the “20” line represents normal hearing range. Line the ruler up to the “20” line and highlight all the way across the graph. Look at all of the X’s and O’s on your graph. If they fall above the highlighted line, your hearing is normal. Check if X’s and O’s fall below the highlighted line. If they do, you have a hearing loss.
