What should you know about air conduction audiometry?

You respond whenever you hear a tone, even if it is very faint. The results are plotted for different pitches and compared between the ears. This helps describe the pattern and degree of hearing change, but air conduction results alone may not show where the problem originates.

The chart produced by the test is called an audiogram. It shows the softest tone heard at each tested pitch in the right and left ears. A clinician looks for differences between pitches, differences between ears, and whether the pattern fits a conductive, sensorineural, or mixed hearing change.

Headphone testing checks the whole hearing pathway from the outer ear onward. If results suggest hearing loss, bone conduction testing, examination of the ear canal and eardrum, or speech testing may help locate the cause. Earwax, middle-ear problems, inner-ear disorders, and nerve-related changes can produce different patterns.

Tell the audiologist about ear pain, discharge, tinnitus, dizziness, recent loud-noise exposure, hearing aids, and any difficulty understanding the instructions. Do not place objects in the ear canal to clean it before the appointment. The clinician may inspect your ears first because blockage can affect sound reaching the eardrum.

During testing, sit quietly, keep the headphones in place, and signal for every tone you hear. Guessing is acceptable when a sound is barely audible; the test method checks responses more than once. Ask for a pause if you become uncomfortable or lose concentration.

Seek urgent medical assessment for a sudden loss or marked reduction of hearing, especially in one ear, rather than waiting for a routine hearing test. Prompt assessment is also appropriate when hearing change comes with new severe dizziness, facial weakness, a head injury, intense ear pain, bloody discharge, or other new neurological symptoms.

Arrange a routine assessment when hearing difficulty persists, conversations become harder to follow, tinnitus continues, or people repeatedly notice that you increase the volume. A test result should be interpreted alongside your symptoms and an ear examination.

You might ask whether the change affects one ear or both, which pitches are involved, whether bone conduction or speech testing is needed, and whether the pattern suggests an outer-ear, middle-ear, or inner-ear issue. Also ask when the test should be repeated and whether hearing protection, treatment, or hearing support is appropriate.