If you’ve had your hearing tested recently, you will have received your hearing test results in the form of a chart known as an audiogram. This chart might look confusing at first, but it contains valuable insight into your hearing ability, so let’s discuss the elements of the chart and how to read it.
The Audiogram Grid
Hearing test results are plotted on a grid. This grid is a chart of sound volume and frequency. The vertical axis represents the volume, measured in decibels, with the top being very quiet and the bottom being very loud. The horizontal access represents the frequency, measured in Hertz, with the left being very low-pitched and the right being very high-pitched (much like a piano moves low to high from left to right).
You can plot any sound onto this graph. Birds singing, which is usually high-pitched and rather quiet, would be in the top-right corner of the grid. A telephone ringing, on the other hand, is also high-pitched but loud, so it would be located on the right side of the grid, but lower down on the vertical axis. A dog’s bark is low-pitched and loud, so it would be located in the lower left of the grid.
Visualizing Your Hearing Loss
Your personal results from the hearing test will be plotted on this grid and connected to make a line. There will be two lines: one for each ear. The red line with the “o” symbols marks your right ear, and the blue line with the “x” symbols shows the results for your left ear. Different symbols may be used for the different types of hearing tests.
These plot points and lines show your hearing threshold. “Hearing threshold” means the quietest volume at which you can hear a certain pitch. If, for example, one of your plot points on the grid is at 40 decibels and 500 Hertz, that means you can hear sounds of that frequency starting at that volume; any quieter, and you’ll probably miss it. Essentially, you can hear sounds that fall below the line on your audiogram, but you might struggle to hear sounds that are above the line.
What Happens Next
With your audiogram in hand, you and your audiologist will be able to find out your hearing loss needs. Consider your audiogram to be your hearing loss prescription.
If the results come back in normal hearing range, then you probably don’t need any form of hearing loss treatment, and now you have a quantified visualization of your hearing baseline. You can now use this chart as a reference point in the years to come to track any changes in your hearing.
If the results show some degree of hearing loss, your audiologist will use the audiogram to determine the severity of hearing loss, from slight to profound. They may recommend hearing aids or other treatments for hearing loss. In this way, your audiogram is a powerful tool to help you get the treatment you need to hear clearly again.
If you have any questions about your hearing test results, or if you think you may have hearing loss and are ready to schedule a hearing test, contact Premier Medical Group.