What an Audiogram Shows
An audiogram is a simple chart that plots your hearing. It has a vertical axis that plots volume in decibels from quiet (at the top of the chart) to loud (at the bottom of the chart). The horizontal axis plots pitch from low frequency rumbles on the left hand side of the chart to high frequency sounds on the right hand side. The results for each ear are plotted on the chart with the ear tested with crosses and the ear tested with circles.
Reading the Decibel Numbers
The threshold shown in the graph is the point at which you can just about hear a sound. The average person can hear sounds at 0-20dB. This means that for you a sound of 40dB is just about audible. This is equivalent to the difference between a whisper (at about 20dB) and a normal conversation (at about 60dB).
Mild, Moderate, and Severe Categories
The NHS categorises hearing loss in a number of ways and describes it in increasing severity. For example, a person with a mild hearing loss of 25dB to 40dB may be monitored from time to time but may also be suitable for hearing aids. A person with a moderate hearing loss of 41dB to 70dB may also require hearing aids but a person with a severe hearing loss of above 70dB may require referral to an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist.
What the Frequency Axis Tells You
Most cases of hearing loss are of a high frequency nature. This means that at higher frequencies (2,000Hz and above) you may not be able to hear sounds as clearly as others. This type of hearing loss can make speech sound muffled, even when it is at a volume that others find normal. The consonants s, f, th, etc. are all sounds that are at the higher end of the frequency scale. So while you may be able to hear a whisper, you may struggle to follow conversation as it can become tiring as you find yourself straining to hear the consonants that are missing from the words being spoken.
What a Speech Discrimination Score Adds
The two scores given in a hearing test are your detection threshold for tones and your speech discrimination score. The tone test score gives the audiologist an idea of what you can detect at very low volumes, the speech discrimination score gives them an idea of how clearly you can hear to understand words at a comfortable volume for you. If you are looking for Hearing Test Cheltenham, see www.imperialhearing.com/audiologist-near-me/cheltenham.
Take the result sheet to your appointment and ask the audiologist to point to your specific threshold marks on the graph.