What happens in a hearing test

Your first appointment at a Specsavers Hearing Centre usually takes around an hour. If you would like to bring a friend or family member with you to your appointment, they will be very welcome. The qualified hearing professional will answer any questions you have about any stage of the test.

• The qualified hearing professional will first ask you a few questions about yourself before examining your ears.
• They will then test your ears by playing sounds at different pitches through a pair of headphones and ask you to press a button every time you hear a sound.
• Next the qualified hearing professional will ask you to wear a special headband that will test how well you hear sounds through the vibrations it makes in your skull bones.
• They will then talk you through the results of the test. If you have hearing loss, they will explain the type of hearing loss you have and the causes of it and what can be done to help improve your hearing.
• If you need to wear a hearing aid, the qualified hearing professional will explain the range of aids that are suitable for you.
• They may also take a mould of your ear canal, so that your new aid fits properly. This takes five minutes and is completely painless.
• It can take up to two weeks for your hearing aids to be made and your fitting appointment will take about 45 minutes.
• You will have a follow-up appointment after four weeks to check that everything is well.

Your hearing is unique – so is your hearing test

Everybody’s hearing is different. That’s why we use a number of techniques and the latest technology to allow us to tailor your hearing care to your individual needs.

We now use video technology

Using a tiny camera, we can examine the health of your ear canals and ear drums, ensuring that sound has a clear pathway through to the delicate structures of the middle and inner ears – we will even show you on screen what we’re seeing. This will be recorded to help us keep track of any changes in your ear over time.

Real Ear Measurement

When having your hearing aids fitted, we use Real Ear Measurement to account for the individual acoustic characteristics of your ear canals. A special microphone analyses the sounds produced by the hearing aids in your ear canal to ensure you are getting the optimum level of amplification. And because hearing loss occurs naturally in both ears, we give you two hearing aids, programmed to work together to provide the clearest stereo sound possible.