Tinnitus assessments are far more structured than many people expect to find in a tinnitus assessment with an Audiologist. Here is an overview of what they get up to during an appointment with an Audiologist.
Taking Your Tinnitus History
The main questions asked by the audiologist in Cheltenham at the start of your tinnitus assessment are: when did your tinnitus start? Is it constant or does it come and go? What makes your tinnitus worse? And is it in one ear or both?
Testing Your Underlying Hearing
First Pure-tone audiometry is conducted to assess your hearing for sounds of different frequencies. Most people with tinnitus also have some degree of hearing loss in one or both ears, and the degree and type of hearing loss can often give some indication as to the possible cause of the tinnitus.
Matching Pitch and Loudness
First the matching pitch test where the audiologist will play a variety of tones until you find the one that best matches the pitch of your tinnitus. Then they will repeat the test for loudness. The results for loudness are often surprising as they typically find that the perceived loudness of the tinnitus is only a few decibels above hearing threshold for the same frequency. Audiologist Cheltenham is covered in more detail at //www.imperialhearing.com/audiologist-near-me/cheltenham.
Measuring Minimum Masking Level
For the Minimum Masking Level (MML) assessment, a background sound will be turned up and down until the lowest level of sound required to mask your tinnitus is found. This assessment gives the audiologist an indication of how easily your tinnitus can be masked for future sound therapy. For all your audiologist appointments in Cheltenham, click here.
Assessing Everyday Impact
These forms are typically completed by the individual and then spoken about with the Audiologist in the appointment. Typically the forms assess the extent to which the tinnitus is affecting the individual’s sleep, concentrating, etc. and how much it is affecting their mood. These are a way of measuring the extent to which the tinnitus is affecting the individual and allow for the level of support (if required) to be set to an appropriate level.
What Happens Next
The results from the assessment can lead to an audiologist recommending a type of sound therapy, some form of tinnitus counselling or even referring you for further investigation if necessary.
A thorough assessment is critical to managing tinnitus effectively.