Audiology

Let’s take a moment to discuss the wonders of hearing. From helping us develop & enrich our relationships to helping us stay safe & even playing a role in our balance, hearing is one of the most important of our five senses. Hearing impairment & loss can have a significant impact on our physical & emotional wellbeing. It can make us feel isolated & confused, & at times, overwhelmed when we’re in a noisy environment. 

How does hearing work?

Hearing is a complex science that relies on various parts of the ear & incredible coordination within the body. Sounds are produced as vibrations in the air that are picked up by the outer ear & transferred internally until the message is transmitted to the brain. The brain then decodes this message. This intricate process occurs even when you hear a simple “hello”. 

Audiology is a medical science dedicated to hearing health & helping patients with impaired or loss of hearing cope with day-to-day life. Audiologists are highly qualified medical experts who conduct a range of specialized tests in order to detect what’s causing a patient’s hearing issues, & develop an effective plan to manage or overcome these issues.

About Audiology

An audiologist’s goal is to help patients cope with hearing issues. This can be before it escalates as well. An audiologist conducts tests to observe a patient’s hearing before creating a treatment plan. For patients who are born without the ability to hear, audiologists guide their parents on raising a child with cognitive hearing loss. 

Hearing loss is also relatively common among older patients. In this case, an audiologist tests their hearing & prescribes programs, devices, & emotional support mechanisms to help them adjust to this condition. An audiologist, like all healthcare experts, also strives to prevent hearing impairments from getting worse if caused by external circumstances.

Audiology Services

Medcare’s highly advanced Audiology department offers the following selection of services, all expertly conducted in an ECKEL sound-proof room:

• Pure Tone Audiogram: The following tests are used to measure how sensitive a patient’s hearing is.
• Air conduction & Bone conduction hearing tests with masking: A complex procedure to test each ear’s hearing level.
• Special tests to differentiate cochlear from retro cochlear-pathology & Special tests to investigate the nature of a hearing disorder.
• Special tests for pseudohypacusis & high frequency audiometry & Special tests to rule out false or exaggerated hearing loss.
• Conditioned (Play) Audiometry for children: Child-friendly hearing tests designed for kids between two to five years old.
• Speech Audiometry: Used to assess a patient’s ability to hear & understand spoken words.
• Speech detection, reception & discrimination tests: Tests that involve a patient listening to words & repeating what they hear.
• Speech in Noise Tests: Tests that involve certain keywords being played amidst background noise. 
• A patient is to repeat the correct keywords as part of this test.
• Free Field Audiometry: A test to elicit a child's response to sounds when presented through loud speakers & to assess the benefit from hearing aid.
• Immittance Audiometry: A test conducted to assess the middle ear functioning.
• Tympanogram: Normal low frequency & high frequency tympanograms. A graph that shows how the eardrum reacts to air pressure in the ear canal.
• Wideband & Multifrequency Tympanogram: Tests conducted to evaluate how the middle ear reacts to various frequencies.
• Reflex Audiometry: Tests conducted to detect the middle ear’s reflexes to various frequencies.
• Ipsilateral & contralateral stapedial muscle reflex & Reflex Decay: Tests to observe the middle ear muscle’s reflex reactions to various sounds.
• Neonatal Hearing Screening: This simple & painless test is used to screen & test a newborn’s hearing. It lasts up to 10 minutes & determines the status of a baby’s hearing.
• Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA / ABR): A test used to rule out hearing loss in small children & hard-to-test patients which is conducted while sleeping or under sedation.
• Oto Acoustic Emission (OAE): A 10-minute test used to assess the normal functioning of the outer ear hair cells of the cochlea (a part of the ear). This test also screens for hearing loss.
• Auditory Steady State Response Audiometry (ASSR): This test helps receive frequency-specific information about a patient’s hearing loss. It is conducted under sedation & plays an important role in determining the pattern & severity of hearing loss in small children.
• Hearing aid analyzer: This is used to analyse a hearing aid’s performance for an optimal fitting.
• Central auditory processing disorder assessment (English): This test is designed for adults & children older than five. This helps to rule out any problem in central auditory mechanisms or to evaluate any difficulty in understanding speech.
• Ear Moulds & Swimmer’s Ear Plugs: Your ear’s impression will be taken to design custom ear plugs to prevent water from entering the ear canal, & design ear plugs for noise protection. Ideal for people who are active in water sports or those who work in noisy environments.

Why choose Medcare?

Coping with a hearing impairment, hearing loss, or a loved one with these issues can be emotionally challenging. At Medcare, we’re known & trusted for our compassionate approach that always puts a patient’s comfort first. Our audiologists are exceptionally skilled professionals who handle each case with gentleness & empathy. Some of the finest professionals in their field, they also have vast experience in helping patients overcome this challenge.

The various types of hearing aids available at Medcare are:

• In the Canal (ITC) hearing aid.
• Behind the ear (BTE) hearing aid.
• Deep In the Canal (DIC) hearing aid.
• Receiver In the Canal (RIC) hearing aids. 
• Completely In the Canal (CIC) invisible hearing aids.

We will also conduct tests to assess the effectiveness of your hearing aid. If you or a loved one are struggling with hearing issues, please book an appointment for a consultation with our audiologists.