Hearing Test?

Question

Have recently had a hearing test done as part of a medical to get in the TA. All went well until the hearing test. They put me on one of those old machines with the different coloured headphones that you listen for pips in each ear. I failed this test on two seperate occasions and had to have a third test done in a sound proof booth. They told me there was a big drop off at 40 HZ and then apparently it picked up again. Is this bad for a person of 25 and does it mean i have suffered hearing damage from somewhere.

I don't currently work with loud machinery but have done in the past but have always worn ear defenders. For the past 4 years I have been doing voluntary aid work and alot of this is at a banger racing cicuit. Could this be the cause and if so what can I do to reduce the risk, hearing protection would be difficult as I wear an earpiece to be able to hear the radio

Answer 1

I think that you were told you have a big drop off at 4KHz, not 40Hz. No standard hearing test goes any lower than 125Hz. Those machines with the different color headphones cannot test at 40Hz.

You also mentioned that the machine looked old. Well by law those machines have to be calibrated annually. So it was probably accurate.

In all honesty I find it hard to believe that your loss is entirely noise related. You really would have had to have been exposed to a massive amount of noise over many years for this to be entirely noise related.

I tell my patients that hearing is like vision, insofar as some people get lucky and never need to wear hearing aids, whereas others may develop a loss at a young age. It's the same with glasses, some kids need them in school and some people never need them. It's all about your genetics. If you got genetically unlucky and had weak ears it is entirely possible that you now have a permanent nerve deafness at a certain frequency.

The best thing to do is to go and see an ENT specialist for a full hearing test to determine what has happened in your case.

The good news is that if you need one, a modern hearing aid system can be very discrete and excellent at boosting just the area that needs the help.

The bad news is, depending on the selection criteria you may not get into the TA.

Answer 2

From what I read from your question I would assume that a drop in your thresholds were at 4000Hz. Often when there is a drop at 4000Hz with a recovery above that frequency it is attributed to noise. It is what we call a 4K notch or a noise notch. Even though you don't work around loud noise now, you have sustained damage to the inner ear from your previous noise exposure. This is a permanent hearing loss and cannot be improved through medicine or surgery. It would conceivably get worse if you exposure your ears to loud noise again.

When a person "fails" a screening evaluation it is highly recommended that they see an audiologist for a complete audiological evaluation to rule out any serious problems. In the meantime be sure to wear ear plugs while in loud noise, like working on car engines, drag racing, loud motorcycles, vacuum cleaners, concerts, etc.

Answer 3

I would go to a certified audiologist. An audiologist administers a battery of specific tests to determine the reason for the loss of hearing. This will give you a starting point. As you age, some hearing loss is inevitable.

Since you are in twenties, you could suffer from hereditary hearing loss. A doctor whose specialty is "nose, ear and throats" can determine why you can't hear in that range. The doctor can tell you if the loss is because of an illness or another cause.

In general, if you go to loud concerts, play music or video games with the volume amped up, you can suffer, permanent hearing loss. If you work near loud machinery, you should protect your ears. With all the noise around us today, we need to be careful of our surroundings.

Answer 4

Don't worry, that happened to me about a year ago. Only mine hearing was 65% lost in both ears. It seems, I had some fluid behind the ear drum and I also needed tubes. I had the fluid drained and the tubes put in and I hear fantastic now. Yours could be alot of things, just go to a hearing doctor. Whats the worst that can happen? If you need a hearing aid, they are so small and so advanced, people do not even know you have one. Good Luck and go see the doctor...

Answer 5

Yes it does. Hearing tests administer different frequencies at different amplitudes (volume levels) in each ear. Depending on which frequencies you can hear, a graphed curve can be assembled showing your hearing response. Then, the tones are administered at different amplitudes to determine you hearing sensitivity. This done for both ears to check each.

"Perfect" hearing is 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz at about -75dB. Hearing damage from repeated typically damages the upper frequency range and decreases sensitivity. Shooting guns and drum sounds can form a notch centered around 5,000 hertz. Driving on the freeway a lot with your window down can affect one ear.

Virtually all damage is permanent. You can't get it back, but you can limit further damage. Wear hearing protection around anything louder than a loud conversation. Concerts, loud stereos, hammering nails, jack-hammers, power tools, loud engine exhaust, etc. can all lead to damage with prolonged exposure.