Struggling to hear at Ruby Tuesday, Cracker Barrel, or Golden Corral? Difficulty hearing in noisy places is a common sign of hearing loss, the third most common health issue in the U.S. Left untreated, it can lead to isolation, strained relationships, and even memory or balance issues. A hearing evaluation is the first step to staying connected.
If you live in or around Athens, Lavonia, or Loganville, GA, the truth about your hearing is less than 30 minutes away at Hearing + Balance Clinics. Our doctors of audiology have the experience and expertise to accurately diagnose hearing loss early on, giving you a chance to enjoy better hearing without disrupting your independent lifestyle and quality of life.
Regular hearing assessments are crucial for maintaining your overall health and quality of life. As the third most common health issue in the US, hearing loss can significantly impact your daily activities, from enjoying meals at restaurants to participating in important conversations with loved ones. Many people wait 7 to 10 years after first noticing hearing challenges before seeking help, which can lead to unnecessary struggles with social connections, memory, balance, and emotional well-being.
Getting your hearing tested is the first step toward preserving your independent lifestyle and maintaining strong relationships with those around you. Early detection through professional evaluation allows us to identify potential issues before they significantly impact your daily life. Our comprehensive assessment process helps us understand not just your hearing health, but how it affects your unique lifestyle and communication needs, enabling us to provide the most effective solutions for your specific situation.
You frequently ask people to repeat themselves or find yourself saying "what?" more often than usual, suggesting you might be missing parts of conversations.
You have trouble following conversations in noisy environments like restaurants or family gatherings.
You turn up the TV or radio volume louder than others prefer, and family members often comment about this.
You find it especially difficult to understand children's voices or women's voices, which tend to be higher in pitch.
You've been exposed to loud noises at work or during recreational activities like concerts or shooting sports, and haven't had your hearing checked recently.
There are several types of hearing tests designed to assess different aspects of your hearing health. These tests measure your ability to hear various tones, speech, and how well your ears and brain process sound. A comprehensive hearing evaluation helps identify any hearing loss and determine the best solutions for your needs.
Used to test the movement of the eardrum and the flexibility of the inner ear muscles to ensure sound is moving properly through your ear.
Using a special headset that rests behind your ears, we’ll play a series of chirps to assess the health of your cochlea, or hearing organ.
We use this device to assist in real-ear measurements via speech mapping; Verifit2 helps us understand how your ears respond to changes in air pressure by measuring the working function of your inner ear.
This test may be needed based on your results. A soft tip is placed in the ear, emitting clicks or buzzes to stimulate cochlear hair cells. Healthy cells produce a tiny echo-like response, measured with special equipment.
Your consultation begins with a conversation about you—not because we’re nosey, but because understanding your lifestyle and hearing challenges helps us provide the best care. Be ready to discuss communication difficulties with family, background noise struggles, trouble hearing in church or school, tinnitus, or ear fullness. We’ll also ask about your occupation, hobbies, medical history, medications, and any family history of hearing issues to create a personalized care plan.
This can be a partner, family member, or trusted friend. Bring someone you communicate with often; they may have an insight into your difficulties in communication also.
As part of our best practices of audiology, we make transparency a priority, so we give you time to ask questions or express any concerns you may have about hearing loss and the hearing care services we provide.
The next part of your hearing assessment involves a physical examination by using an otoscope (a magnifying glass with a light on a tapered tip). While we’re examining your ear canal, we’re evaluating skin conditions, earwax accumulation, inflammation or the presence of other obstructions in your ear canal, and the structural health of the eardrum.
In some cases, the removal of obstructions, such as earwax, a bug, or some other foreign object, is all that’s needed to restore your hearing.
During your hearing evaluation, you'll undergo several tests, including tympanometry to check eardrum movement, a bone conduction test to assess cochlear health, and Verifit2 real-ear measurements for hearing aid optimization. You'll also be tested in a sound booth, where you'll respond to tones or speech played through headphones or ear inserts. If needed, additional testing like otoacoustic emissions (OAE) may be performed to evaluate cochlear hair cell function.
After your test, your audiologist will review the results with you, using an audiogram to explain your hearing levels. If further testing is needed, they’ll discuss next steps. You'll also learn about options to improve your hearing, from hearing protection and lifestyle changes to hearing aids if necessary. No matter the outcome, your input is key—honesty and trust lay the foundation for effective hearing care.
Hearing loss can be congenital or acquired. Since congenital hearing loss is most often diagnosed in infants or very young children, your questions and concerns are likely related to acquired hearing loss, which is developed later in life.
The most common cause of acquired hearing loss is presbycusis, or the deterioration of the inner ear due to aging. The next most common cause is noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), which is the result of frequent or ongoing exposure to unsafe levels of noise without wearing hearing protection or an extreme explosive event.
Additional causes may include earwax or some other object blocking the ear canal, inflammation, growths or tumors, and ototoxic drugs and medications.
Yes. In fact, there are three:
Your audiogram provides a graph of the lowest level you’re able to hear various pitches or frequencies. The amount of loss is classified in one of five categories, including:
Not at all. They are non-invasive, easy, and quick.
Adults up to the age of 60 should have their hearing tested every decade unless you’ve gone through head trauma or begin to experience tinnitus (ringing in your ears). Above the age of 60, audiologists recommend annual hearing tests, at a minimum, every other year.
Most hearing tests are not covered by private health insurance, but they may be covered by Medicaid and certain Medicaid supplements.
Most hearing tests take between 20 and 30 minutes to complete.
You can. In fact, we recommend it because they can help fill in the gaps that you don’t notice or forget to bring up in relation to your hearing challenges affecting your everyday life during your consultation.
Unlike many medical tests, the results of your hearing evaluation are ready as soon as we finish testing, so your audiologist will be able to discuss the results with you during the same visit as your hearing test.
Hearing loss cannot always be prevented, but you can limit how it impacts your life through:
If a night out or a family gathering has become difficult because of background noise, others are complaining about the volume of your television, or friends and family are harassing you to “get your ears checked,” then it’s time to learn the truth about your hearing with a hearing test.
Our audiologists at Hearing + Balance Clinics have the experience and expertise to accurately diagnose the type and severity of hearing loss you’re dealing with.
You can schedule a hearing evaluation at the clinic nearest to you by submitting the adjacent form, and then a member of our team will call you to provide assistance.
Very nice and helpful staff. Always take time to let me ask questions. First time at the Watkinsville office but most of the same staff. I have been with them for several years now and very pleased.
