What can I expect from an audiological evaluation?
History The audiologist will perform a thorough assessment of the hearing mechanism, beginning with a history interview. History questions will focus on the following areas: • Conditions at birth or during adolescence that may have an impact on hearing. • Exposure to workplace, military, or recreational noise. • Medications prescribed for medical conditions. • Past surgeries. • Family traits and hereditary anomalies that may be associated with hearing loss. Visual Inspection of Outer Ear and Ear Drum Following the history, the audiologist will examine the outer ear with an otoscope or video otoscope. The audiologist can observe any damage caused by the use of cotton applicators (“Q-tips”), trauma, or chronic infection. The audiologist can also observe the condition of the ear drum and determine whether the ear canal may have a buildup of earwax causing a hearing loss. Audiologicial Evaluation After considering a patient’s history and performing a visual inspection of the outer ear, the
