AUDIOLOGY I have had my hearing tested several times before know I have some degree of hearing loss; however, I always wonder how a test of beeps in quiet is reflective of how I hear on a daily basis. I tend to have more difficulty in groups and background noise. Why is hearing tested using beeps or tones? Is there a test that assesses my ability to hear in noisy situations? Heather Zimmel Au D., CCC-A . Hearing is tested using pure tones (beeps at different frequencies, or pitches) becauset allows us to isolate which frequencies (pitches) you can and cannot hear. The words and sounds found in our environment are complex and comprised of many frequencics The best way to understand which sounds you hear and which you have difficulty hearing is to isolate each specific frequency. This form of testing is also necessary if it is determined you would benefit from hearing aids as it provides your audiologist with the information needed to program your hearing devices (which frequencies to raise and by how much). A comprehensive hearing exam should also include speech testing. This often includes finding the softest level you can correctly repeat a word and determining how well you understand speech at a comfortable level While these tests also provide valuable information, we feel it is important to incorporate speech-in-noise testing into our test battery. Speech in noise testing allows us to measure how well patients hear in the presence of background noise by asking the patient to repeat sentences in varying degrees of noise. This form of testing provides valuable information when discussing realistic expectations with hearing aids. If you are interested in having your hearing tested, please give us a call at 333-8833 AdrantageCAudiology & HEARING HEALTHCARE 677 Anne Street NW, Suite (G Bemidji, MN 56601 218-333-8833