Oklahoma Hearing Screenings

Hearing loss affects millions of people of all ages. However, the average person with hearing loss waits five years before seeking a hearing screening from a health care professional. Those five years of impaired hearing can be avoided or even prevented with a hearing screening.

If left untreated, hearing loss can have a detrimental effect on children and adults alike. In children, hearing loss can impact speech and language development, cognitive skills, and social skills in the early years while causing lifelong problems with mental health, socio-economic status, and more. In adults, hearing loss has been linked to conditions like dementia, depression, and poor physical health.

Hearing screenings are crucial to the early detection of hearing impairments. Addressing hearing loss as early as possible helps prevent the impact it has on a person’s quality of life, increases treatment options, and improves the success rate of those treatments for better outcomes. Children are typically screened at birth, then yearly at school or well-child visits. Healthy adults ages 18 and over should have hearing screenings every three to five years.

Signs on Hearing Loss

Many people who have hearing loss are not even aware they have it. Signs you may be suffering from hearing loss include:

Do you find yourself asking others to repeat what they have said?
Do other people complain because you watch TV or listen to the radio at a high volume?
Do you miss things during phone conversations?
Do you respond incorrectly to what people say?
Is it hard to understand what people are saying when there is background noise?
Do members of your family have hearing difficulties?
Do you work – or have you worked – in a noisy environment?
Do you ever have a ringing in your ears?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, it may be time for a hearing screening.

HearAgain has been helping Oklahomans preserve and regain their hearing for more than 50 years. Our hearing technicians and specialists are committed to providing the attention, compassion, and experience needed so you can hear again. If you or a loved one are experiencing the signs and symptoms of hearing loss, contact HearAgain for a free hearing screening. You can walk in to or make an appointment at either our Oklahoma City or Norman location, request a home visit, or meet us when our mobile lab comes to your community. Hearing loss can’t wait—call or visit us online today to schedule your screening.

What is a Hearing Screening?

A hearing screening is a quick, simple test to find how well you hear various sounds. Adults and older children usually receive a series of beeps or tones being played through a set of headphones at varying volumes and frequencies. A screener records the responses to determine if any hearing loss exists, but the results cannot determine the cause or extent.

Hearing tests and screenings can be performed on anyone, even babies and small children, although these tests depend more on auditory brain response and otoacoustic emissions than their physical responses. Most newborns are screened shortly after birth and young children are usually tested annually either at well-child checkups and/or at school. These early screenings are crucial to identifying premature hearing loss, which can impact how children hear sounds and words as well as how they learn to talk or communicate.

Failing a hearing screening does not necessarily mean serious hearing loss or deafness. Fluid in the ear, surrounding noise, or even an equipment malfunction could result in a failed screening. Because of this, a follow-up screening is usually conducted within a few months to double-check the results. If the failed screening results are confirmed, you will need to obtain a hearing evaluation—commonly referred to as a hearing test—which is simply a more extensive assessment of your hearing condition.

What Happens During a Hearing Test or Evaluation

Review Personal Information

Your hearing specialist may ask more details about your hearing, such as the types of environments in which you have more trouble hearing, your work history, and any exposure to loud sounds that may have impacted your hearing.

Physical Exam of the Ears

During a hearing test, the hearing specialist will typically examine your ears using an otoscope. This instrument enables the specialist to see your ear canal and ear drum and see if excess ear wax is obstructing the ear canal.

A Speech Test

A speech test allows the audiologist to determine how well you hear and understand regular conversation sounds in a noisy environment. You’ll wear a set of headphones through which you’ll hear a series of words at varying volumes and be asked to repeat everything you hear while the audiologist records the accuracy.

A Pure Tone Hearing Test

This test also requires a set of headphones that are connected to an audiometer over your ears. A series of tones will be played at different pitches and volumes. You’ll be asked to respond a specific way when—and if—you hear a tone.

A Tympanometry Test

During this test, air pressure is applied to the ear to identify any blockages in the ear canal, fluid build-ups, or ear perforations that may have been missed during the physical exam. The test measures how your eardrum reacts to the pressure.

An Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Test

An OAE test inserts a small speaker and microphone into your ear to stimulate the hair cells in your cochlea. The response can help determine the extent of the hearing loss, the health of your inner ear, and the extent of the damage to your sensory cells.

After your hearing test, your specialist will review your results with you. You’ll discuss the degree, type, and pattern of hearing loss, as well as the level at which you can hear and understand conversational speech. With this information, you can discuss treatment solutions and consider whether a hearing aid might be the right solution for you.

The HearAgain Difference

Your hearing is priceless, but it shouldn’t be difficult or costly to care for. At HearAgain, we believe everyone deserves the gift of good hearing, and that’s why we travel all over the state to meet you where you need us most—at home, in your community—and deliver quality, affordable care. Our mobile hearing testing and hearing aid studios are fully equipped to support hearing screenings, hearing aid fittings, and hearing aid repairs, and our technicians trained to provide our full spectrum of services no matter where we are.

HearAgain is dedicated to allowing every Oklahoman the opportunity to hear again by maximizing the accessibility, minimizing the inconvenience, and reducing the financial burden of receiving and maintaining hearing aids and hearing assistive devices. Learn more about our service availability and financing by calling us toll-free at 855-748-5920.

Don’t wait another day for the hearing you deserve. Walk in to one of our two locations, schedule an in-home visit, or find out when our mobile lab will be in your community. You can receive a free hearing screening and hearing aid consultation and be on the path to better hearing.

Call us toll free toll free at (855) 748-5920 or simply stop by for a consultation today. Walk-ins welcome!

Free Hearing Aid Screenings in Oklahoma