Are online hearing tests any good?
Online hearing tests don’t provide a medical diagnosis or identify the cause of your possible hearing loss.
Online hearing tests are a popular way to test your own hearing. Nowadays, everyone expects fast results. Taking a hearing test online is an attractive way to test hearing because it’s free (most of the time), easy to take and gives fast results.
When you take a hearing test online, there is no guarantee that the results are 100% accurate. Online hearing tests can’t provide an accurate medical diagnosis and are not able to identify the cause of hearing loss.
If you find yourself searching for reliable hearing tests online, chances are, you might have noticed something is off with your hearing.
Signs of Hearing Loss
Most cases of hearing loss don’t happen overnight. Hearing loss progresses gradually which makes it trickier to diagnose.
Common signs of hearing loss include:
• making out words in a conversation in a noisy room
• Difficulty distinguishing similar-sounding consonants
• Sounds seem muted, distorted or fuzzy
• Volume of music or TV need to be higher than usual
• Asking people to repeat themselves constantly
Limitations of an online hearing test
Taking a hearing test online may have some plus points when it comes to convenience and fast results. However, there are also some key limitations that you need to come to terms with.
An online hearing test can’t provide official diagnosis. If you need an official diagnosis for your hearing problems, an audiologist or ENT can provide that.
Additionally, online hearing tests cannot determine the underlying cause of hearing loss. There is a wide range of possible causes for hearing loss, from environmental exposure, natural aging processes, accumulation of earwax, to name a few.
Taking a hearing test online will not present the underlying cause of hearing loss. This is quite a deal breaker because knowing the reason behind hearing loss is very important.
Some forms of hearing loss are actually reversible so knowing the cause behind a patient’s hearing loss is vital for audiologists to quickly find a solution to avoid further hearing damage.
Not knowing the cause of hearing loss will leave you in the dark. You won’t know if your hearing loss is reversible or not, you won’t know if there’s a more serious underlying condition behind your hearing loss, and you won’t get the appropriate treatment to avoid further damages and complications.
What to Avoid When Taking an Online Hearing Test
There’s really no significant harm if you want to take a hearing test online, especially if it’s free. You might think that you have nothing to lose.
Well, that’s partly true. As long as you see an audiologist to get a proper hearing test instead of relying on the results of an online hearing test, you’ve got nothing to lose indeed.
When taking a hearing test online, the most important thing you need to remember is to make sure that you veer away from subpar hearing tests because you will obviously get subpar results.
If you must take an online hearing test, you might want to choose one that’s connected with a hearing aid brand that you are eyeing. Most major hearing aid manufacturers offer their own hearing test online.
Once you get the results of an online hearing test, the next thing you need to do is to schedule a consultation with an audiologist. It’s up to you if you bring the result of your hearing test online or not. Either way, audiologists will carry out a comprehensive hearing test to draw out accurate results.
The results of the test performed by an audiologist will be the core of the treatment plan for hearing loss and other related problems.
Hearing Tests MA
As practicing audiologists, we encourage patients to look at online hearing tests as only a visual point of reference – a starting point to dig deeper into the current hearing situation.
If you are in Massachusetts and need to get an accurate hearing test from a reliable hearing clinic, Atlantic Hearing Care offers comprehensive hearing tests and other related hearing services.
Call us today to set an appointment!