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What happens in a hearing test?
Understand what happens at your free hearing test with Boots Hearingcare

What To Expect From Your Hearing Test

 
To keep on top of your hearing health, it’s important to have your hearing checked regularly, just as you would visit the opticians or the dentist. To help you get started with your hearing journey, we’ve created this guide on what to expect during your free, no obligation hearing test to ensure you feel confident and prepared.

What happens in an audiology appointment

When it comes to hearing, everyone’s circumstances are different and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. We tailor our service to your unique needs by spending time understanding your concerns, lifestyle and instances where you've noticed you aren’t hearing as well as you used to.

Initial quick and easy hearing health check

Your initial 15 minute hearing health check is quick, simple and free, and will be carried out by one of our Audiologists or Hearing Wellness Advisors. To understand how well you’re hearing our hearing expert will check the health of your ears and carry out a hearing test. If we detect a hearing loss, we’ll want to complete a more thorough hearing test, so we’ll book you in for a Full Hearing Assessment.

Want to know how well you’re hearing? Try our on-line hearing test here or book a free hearing health check here.

Here's how your free 15 minute hearing health check will run

1. Book your free hearing health check online at your nearest store today.
2. One of our expert audiologists will first perform a health check of your ears
3. They will then carry out some simple tests to see how well you're hearing
3. Finally, they will give you advice about how you can hear better and the next steps. 

What happens if we detect hearing loss during your initial health check?

Full hearing assessment

If a hearing loss is detected during your Hearing Health Check, you have been diagnosed previously or currently own hearing aids, you’ll be invited for a Full Hearing Assessment. This appointment lasts 75 minutes, and is carried out by one of our expert Audiologists. Like our Hearing Health Check, this appointment is also free, but this time we’ll go into more depth to try to understand your hearing loss. It’s helpful to bring along a partner, family member or friend who can support in the discussion about how well you’re hearing.

During the appointment, your Audiologist will explain what will happen during your appointment, discuss your lifestyle and any problems or changes you may have noticed in your hearing. They will then take a look inside your ears to check how healthy they are before putting your ears to the test in our sound booth. During this test, your Audiologist will play a series of sounds at various pitches through headphones, and will ask you to press a button whenever you hear a sound. This allows your Audiologist to measure the thresholds of your hearing, how you react to different sounds and how well you can hear at specific frequencies. Your results will then be plotted on an audiogram which is a chart that represents your hearing ability.

If required, your Audiologist may then carry out a further test by placing a vibrating pad behind your ear to test your bone conductivity. Once complete, these results alongside your audiogram will be reviewed and discussed in detail to determine the extent and the type of hearing loss you may have.

If a hearing loss is detected during your Hearing Health Check, you have been diagnosed previously or currently own hearing aids, you’ll be invited for a Full Hearing Assessment. This appointment lasts 75 minutes, and is carried out by one of our expert Audiologists. Like our Hearing Health Check, this appointment is also free, but this time we’ll go into more depth to try to understand your hearing loss. It’s helpful to bring along a partner, family member or friend who can support in the discussion about how well you’re hearing.

What happens during the full hearing assessment?

During the appointment, your Audiologist will explain what will happen during your appointment, discuss your lifestyle and any problems or changes you may have noticed in your hearing. They will then take a look inside your ears to check how healthy they are before putting your ears to the test in our sound booth. 

During this test, your Audiologist will play a series of sounds at various pitches through headphones, and will ask you to press a button whenever you hear a sound. This allows your Audiologist to measure the thresholds of your hearing, how you react to different sounds and how well you can hear at specific frequencies. Your results will then be plotted on an audiogram which is a chart that represents your hearing ability.

If required, your Audiologist may then carry out a further test by placing a vibrating pad behind your ear to test your bone conductivity. Once complete, these results alongside your audiogram will be reviewed and discussed in detail to determine the extent and the type of hearing loss you may have.

Depending on your hearing test results, you’re Audiologist may recommend hearing aids to improve your hearing, this will be discussed and a demonstration of hearing aids will be offered with no obligation to buy.

If you are experiencing hearing loss or have previously been diagnosed with a hearing loss, you can book a free 75 minute Full Hearing Assessment here.

What happens if we detect hearing loss?

Upon detecting hearing loss, our audiologist will review the results with you in detail. They will provide insights into the severity of your hearing impairment and recommend appropriate hearing aids based on your specific needs and budget. After selecting a suitable hearing aid, the audiologist will ensure it fits comfortably in your ear and adjusts it for optimal performance.

It's natural to experience an adjustment phase when using a new hearing aid. It may take a while to adapt to the enhanced sounds. Should you require any further adjustments or have any queries, please reach out to us – our team is dedicated to supporting you.