What Does an Audiogram Tell You About Your Hearing Loss?

Posted on: 27 April 2022

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If you've been having investigative hearing tests, then your audiologist might have shown you an audiogram at the end of the process. This is a visual depiction of your results and what they mean.

What can you learn from your audiogram?

Your Type of Hearing Loss

One of the ways your audiologist can assess your hearing is to look at your slope of loss. This data helps them see what kind of hearing loss you have. For example, if your audiogram shows that you have conductive hearing loss, then your slope of loss will probably be a flat line on the visual chart. Your stats will be even and equal when your audiologist measures them.

However, if you have a sensorineural problem, then your slope of loss will change at higher frequencies. Your tests will show that you hear less well as sound frequencies hit higher scales.

Your Severity of Hearing Loss

The images on your audiogram usually sit on a coloured scale. This scale helps you see how good or bad your hearing is. For example, if some of your result lines sit in green areas, then things are OK or not too bad. If they fall into red areas, then your hearing loss is more severe.

The audiogram also shows you how each of your ears performs. For example, you'll find out if you have hearing loss in one or both ears. You also get data on how your ears compare. In some cases, you might be able to hear better in one ear than the other. Or your hearing might be equally bad in both.

Your Next Steps

People suffer from hearing loss for various reasons. Sometimes this is a temporary problem; however, sometimes your hearing loss is permanent. It might not get any better, and it might even get worse over time.

Your audiogram helps your audiologist assess the help you need. For example, if you have conductive hearing loss, then you might just have a temporary problem, such as an infection or ear wax blockage. If you fix the problem, then your hearing should improve.

However, if your audiogram shows that you have a sensorineural problem, then your hearing loss is more likely to be permanent. You might need to wear hearing aids to improve your hearing now or in the future.

If you need more help understanding your audiogram and what it tells you about your hearing problems, contact a local audiologist. They can help you decide what you need to do next.