Do I Need A Hearing Test?
It is often very difficult to tell if you need a hearing test because hearing loss usually occurs gradually, such that the person is not aware of it. Your hearing is how you connect with the important people in your life. Hearing loss can occur at any age, to any one person.
There is no way to predict hearing loss, but there are known risk factors which include:
- Family history
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Sleep apnea
- Medication/chemotherapy
- History of noise exposure
- Dementia/Alzheimer’s disease.
If you have any of the above mentioned risk factors, or if you are aged 45+, an annual hearing test is recommended to monitor hearing stability .
Contact us today to schedule your hearing evaluation with our Audiologist No Doctor referral is needed to schedule a hearing test.
Who Performs The Hearing Tests?
Not all hearing tests are equal.
Our Diagnostic Hearing Tests are performed by an Audiologist – an Audiologist with 6 to 8 years of University education! Our Audiologists are registered members of the College of Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO), and must comply with the regulations and professional guidelines of this governing body. The cost varies between $100.00 to $120.00 depending on the tests that need to be completed for your particular hearing loss. Third party insurance plans such as OTIP, Johnsons, SunLife, ManuLife, GreatWestLife or GreenShield may reimburse you for the cost of the testing. Veterans Affairs Canada/Department of Veteran Affairs, RCMP, and Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), will cover the cost of the testing.
Our Basic Hearing Tests are performed by our Communicative Disorders Assistants or Hearing Instrument Dispensers/Specialists under the direct or indirect supervision of the audiologist. As the name implies, our Basic Hearing Test test is basic in nature and can not be used diagnostically (prior to surgery, to diagnose a disease or condition, etc).
OHIP does not cover the cost of a true Diagnostic Hearing Tests, in the same manner that they cover Diagnostic Vision Tests. For OHIP to pay for a Diagnostic Hearing Test, you will have to: (1) book an appointment with your family doctor, (2) your family will refer you to a surgeon in order for the testing to be covered when done in the surgeons office, (3) wait six to twelve months to get in the see the surgeon. Our Doctor of Audiology and Audiologist Bernice McKenzie asked OHIP about this waste of tax payer money and time and was informed that no one has ever complained to OHIP about this procedure.
Want to complain? If you would like to complain about OHIP not funding diagnostic hearing testing for adults and seniors done in the office of audiologists in the same manner that they cover vision testing in an optometry office.
Call OHIP at 1-866-532-3161
Mail OHIP a letter:
Service Ontario -INFOline
5775 Younge Street – 16th Floor
Toronto, ON M7A 2E5
Or fill out a form at their website: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/common/
What Will Happen During My Hearing Test Appointment?
Your hearing evaluation is a 1 hour appointment. No doctor referral is required.
The Hearing & Dizziness Clinic’s Test Battery Includes:
- Detailed Case History and Hearing Questionnaire
Provides the Audiologist information regarding your hearing concerns. - Otoscopic Examination.
An otoscope allows the Audiologist to examine your ear canal and ear drum, inspecting for any wax build up and the health of the ear drum. - Tympanometry
Assists in the detection of a problem with the middle ear. - Acoustic reflex (Ipsilateral, Contralateral and Reflex Decay)
The loudness level at which the acoustic reflex occurs—or the absence of the acoustic reflex—gives information to the audiologist about your hearing. - Speech Testing in Quiet
a) Speech Reception Threshold (SRT) determines how soft you were able to repeat common words.
b) Word Recognition Discrimination. The audiologist will be measuring your clarity or ability to understand speech in quiet. - Speech Test in Background Noise
The QuickSIN is a speech-in-noise test that quickly and easily measures your ability to hear in noise. Speech understanding in noise cannot be reliably predicted from the pure tone audiogram or other standard audiometric tests. - Pure Tone Audiometry
Pure-tone Air and Bone Conduction Testing is used to determine the presence or absence of hearing loss. If hearing loss is present, the audiologist will be able to determine both type and degree of hearing loss.
The above test results are recorded on an audiogram. Once your test is complete, the Audiologist will review your audiogram in detail and answer any questions you may have. Based on your audiogram, completed questionnaire results, and your listening needs/requirements, the Doctor of Audiology will make their recommendations whether it be amplification (hearing aids), a referral to a medical doctor or monitor hearing in a year. These recommendations are unique to each person, their audiogram and their listening needs!
If you had a hearing test completed by a different hearing healthcare provider and you would like a second opinion, please do not hesitate to contact us for a consultation.