Hearing
loss is increasingly common. As baby boomers age, they may experience
presbycusis, or a loss of hearing due to age. Those in their late teens
and early twenties for the first time in history are also developing
hearing loss, due to the use of ear buds (which are closer to the vital
hair cells in the inner ear). Loud music played for long periods of time
close to the inner ear can cause irreversible hearing loss.
As
a result, there are many services offering free online hearing
screenings. Usually they are sponsored by companies that sell hearing
aids, so naturally, they want to find potential customers. Those
reviewed gave misleading information due to 1 or more of 5 factors. First, only one
specified the need for sound-occluding headphones for greater accuracy; regular flat headphones allow more outside noises to be heard, which can mean fewer words or beeps are heard.
That one also mentioned that background noise must be minimized or
avoided. Taking a hearing screening when a TV is on in the background, or a
fire engine's siren is heard as it whizzes past your home, can give
inaccurate results.
Sound
quality is affected by the sound-card in the computer, and also whether
any calibration is done to your hearing needs. A different site did a
calibration check; its' accuracy is unknown.
Directions
on the sites varied widely. Two were very confusing. In one case, the
screening was done initially and then a second time after the directions
were re-read. Not surprisingly, the reported level of hearing jumped
from 38% to 75%. They didn't specify whether this meant 75% of the
words were understood, or whether it was 75% of certain hertz or pitches as appropriate for my age. The result was meaningless. Speaking of
age, only 3 sites asked my age, which all should have done.
One site that seemed the most accurate for pure-tones (those beeps) was also the most complicated to understand, and did not attempt to measure listening in noisy situations, which is what most people want to know.
Some of the sites referred people to certified audiologists for more testing; all should have done this.
Save
yourself the inaccuracies so prevalent in these online sites. If you
are concerned about your hearing, go to a certified audiologist (in the
USA) and also ask about how recently their testing equipment (in a
sound-proof booth, not just a portable audiometer) has been calibrated. Your hearing is vital; you
deserve accurate results!
Business Speech Improvement offers a valuable e-book called What Did You Say? to help
employees and others cope with hearing loss. Learn helpful no-tech and low-tech solutions to improve communication!
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