How Accurate is an Audiogram?

What we hear and the ability to hear noises well is a pretty important cog in our respective systems. Those who cannot hear as well face a lot more of a struggle in life than those who have zero issues. For those of us that can hear sounds with limited problems, it’s taken for granted just how important they are, and we only realize how much of an impairment it is when its declining.  

When someone feels as though their hearing ability has dropped a little, they should do their best to get their ears and hearing tested. There are many ways in which an audiologist can examine one’s ears – pure-tone testing is one example of such a test, once the test is complete, the results are shown on an X and Y graph known as an audiogram. The question here is whether those results and the test as a whole show correct and accurate results – or if they’re anywhere near as accurate as perhaps they should be. Let’s look into an audiogram and discover a little more.

What is an audiogram, and what is its purpose?  

As we’ve mentioned before, an audiogram is a graph of results that are shown after an audiometry tone test has been completed. A patient will sit in a quiet room or will sit with headphones on. A noise will be delivered to them, and they have to signal whether they’ve heard that noise – it’ll be a case of raising their hand or pressing a button. Different pitches and frequencies are played in order to gauge the severity or type of hearing issue. 

Once the test is complete, the results are shown on a graph we call an audiogram. The test results will be able to tell a person what they heard and how they reacted to certain sounds. They’ll be able to figure out if they have normal hearing, or whether they have mild, moderate, severe or profound hearing loss. 

An audiogram measures how a person responds to the loudness in decibels and the frequency or pitch of a sound in hertz. If someone can respond to the noises at around zero to twenty decibels, then they have a normal hearing ability. If it’s twenty to forty, then they have mild hearing issues. Forty to sixty means it is moderate. Sixty to ninety is severe, and anywhere above ninety decibels mean the person has profound hearing loss.   

Are there any issues with audiograms?

When it comes to risks, audiometry tests carry next to no potential problems. The test itself is non-invasive and will not cause any damage to the person undertaking it. In terms of the accuracy of the audiogram, however, people’s minds do like to play tricks on them from time to time, so the results may not be as perfect as an audiologist would like. It’s possible that someone could hear a noise that wasn’t actually there, and indicate so. They may also hear a noise and think it’s a natural ringing, meaning they do not press the button or raise their hand when perhaps they should. With these kinds of erratic actions, the results could be completely skewed and incorrect.  

What other kinds of hearing tests are around?

The audiometry test that produces the audiogram results is your traditional way of testing someone’s hearing. There are a few other ways to do it. Speech testing is a popular method, whereby one’s speech reception threshold is measured. It is taken place in a noisy environment in order to test whether someone can separate the sounds of the speech from the background noises. There’s also tympanometry – a test that measures how your eardrum reacts to certain amounts of air pressure. This test can help spot the likes of tumors, fluid and wax. Other tests include bone conduction testing – which can figure out which kind of hearing issue someone has, acoustic reflex testing and auditory brainstem response. 

How do they compare to an audiogram? 

While there is a healthy amount of hearing tests that audiologists can use, the audiometry and audiogram systems seem to provide the right results. As mentioned previously, there can be a few hiccups due to human error – but overall, it’s a safe practice that plots down pretty much where someone is in terms of their ear strength. Learn more about your evaluation options by calling Audiology and Hearing Aid Services at 912-351-3038.