Highly Accurate Hearing Assessments in Ventura, CA

Hearing loss and hearing challenges come on at such a slow pace that you don’t notice the day-to-day changes that accumulate over an extended period of time. Consequently, acknowledging changes to your hearing health can be tough, and committing to get the help you need is a huge feat.

A comprehensive hearing assessment by a licensed professional provides you with the truth about the type and severity of your hearing loss and allows our audiologists to work with you to find the solutions that fit your unique needs and personal preferences.

“Is there a place to get a hearing test near me?”

Understanding hearing loss and what you can expect from a hearing evaluation at Nelson Audiology, Inc. can help alleviate any anxiety or stress you might be experiencing.

Dr. Lance Nelson Performing a Hearing Assessment at Nelson Audiology

Types of Hearing Loss and Their Characteristics

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of permanent hearing loss. It is the result of damage to either the tiny hair-like cells of the inner ear, known as stereocilia, or the auditory nerves that transfer sound signals to the brain.

Children can be born with sensorineural hearing loss due to a genetic syndrome or an infection passed from mother to fetus, but the majority of sensorineural hearing loss cases develop later in life. These can be caused by presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, or ongoing exposure to loud noise (noise-induced hearing loss or NIHL).

Other causes may include:

Heart disease and diabetes
Infections like mumps
Meniere’s disease
Use of ototoxic drugs or medications
Acoustic neuroma or a cancerous growth in the inner ear
Concussion or traumatic brain injury
Autoimmune diseases or thyroid disease

In addition to reduced hearing clarity, characteristics of sensorineural hearing loss can include feelings of unsteadiness or dizziness, tinnitus, and the early onset of dementia or cognitive decline.

Conductive Hearing Loss

Conductive hearing loss involves an obstruction or damage to the ear canal, eardrum, or middle ear components that prevents sound signals from reaching the inner ear. Depending on the cause of the obstruction, conductive hearing loss can be temporary or permanent.

Obstructions can be due to:

Narrowing of the ear canal
An ear infection or too much earwax
Exostoses (bone-like protrusions inside the ear canal)
Otitis externa (swimmer’s ear)
Microtia or atresia (congenital deformities)

Conductive hearing loss in the middle ear might include:

Ruptured tympanic membrane (eardrum)
Tympanosclerosis (thickening of the tympanic membrane)
Fluid in the ear or otitis media (ear infection)
Eustachian tube blockage
Otosclerosis (affects the stapes bone in the middle ear)
Abnormal growths or tumors
Ossicular discontinuity (broken connection between the bones of the middle ear)

With conductive hearing loss, the sensory organs of the inner ear remain intact, so hearing challenges usually involve loudness issues rather than problems with sound clarity.

Mixed Hearing Loss

Mixed hearing loss is a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss in which either sensorineural or conductive hearing loss is already present before the other condition develops. There are three common instances for this hearing loss combination:

A form of trauma leads to hearing loss in a person with sensorineural hearing loss
Someone already experiencing conductive hearing loss develops sensorineural hearing loss as they age
Blast injuries or various traumas cause concurrent sensorineural and conductive hearing loss

Those experiencing mixed hearing loss will struggle with clarity and loudness issues related to both types of hearing loss.

Nelson Audiology’s Hearing Assessment Process

Step One

Step Two

Step Three

Step Four

Intake

Getting your hearing tested is a simple, non-invasive process. Your licensed professional will start your hearing evaluation with an intake process that includes a conversation about you. We’ll ask about your health history, the symptoms you are experiencing, your lifestyle (vocation, social life, hobbies and activities, etc.), and address any questions or concerns you might have.

This conversation helps us gauge your hearing loss experience and its impact on your quality of life and can uncover information that might help reveal its cause.

Physical Ear Inspection

Your hearing care specialist will move on to a physical inspection of your ears using an otoscope. We are looking for any physical obstructions that could be contributing to your hearing loss, such as accumulated earwax, growths, damage to the ear canal, or damage to the eardrum blocking sound from reaching the inner ear.

Hearing Tests

Once your ears have been inspected for any damage, we will move on to a series of noninvasive and painless hearing tests that will help identify the type of hearing loss you’re experiencing, as well as its severity. We have several different testing methods available to provide a comprehensive assessment, as can be seen below.

Results

Unlike many medical tests, you don’t have to wait for your hearing test results. Since they are captured in real time during the testing process, your hearing care professional will be able to present and discuss them as soon as testing is finished.

We’ll discuss your results using an audiogram, which is a graphic representation of your hearing capacity in each ear. You’ll see the volume of specific sounds that you can hear and what sounds are more challenging for you to hear.

Our hearing aid specialist will review this information and explain what it means as well as provide you with treatment solutions or preventive measures you might take to avoid ongoing damage if you are at risk of developing hearing loss.

We see ourselves as partners on your journey to better hearing, providing you with solutions that best meet your needs for better hearing while also taking your lifestyle, budget, and personal preferences into account.

Our Testing Methods

Tympanometry

Tympanometry allows us to measure the reaction of the eardrum to a subtle pressure change in the ear canal. This test can identify the presence of fluid behind the eardrum, a ruptured eardrum, or other middle ear issues.

Pure-tone audiometry

Pure-tone audiometry helps identify the type and severity of your hearing loss by establishing your hearing threshold. It includes the transmission of pure tones through headphones in descending levels from 250-8000 Hz.

Speech Audiometry

Speech audiometry is the combination of two tests designed to measure how well you understand speech.

Your Speech Reception Threshold (SRT) establishes the low-end threshold of speech reception by presenting spondee words (composed of two syllables pronounced with equal stress and effort) in descending levels and measuring your responses.

The second type of speech audiometry, your Speech Discrimination Score, is a calculated percentage of the number of phonetically balanced words you can repeat correctly at a comfortable listening level.

Additional Tests

If necessary, your audiologist might decide to conduct an otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) test, which measures how the nerve cells in the cochlea react to the presence of sounds. It involves inserting a soft tip into the client’s ear and transmitting clicking or buzzing sounds to stimulate certain hair cells in the cochlea.

Auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing is often used with children or others who are unable to complete a typical hearing screening, as well as being a means of identifying hearing loss related to issues with the brain or along a brain pathway.

Bone Conduction Test

Bone conduction testing bypasses the outer and middle ear, transmitting sound signals directly to the inner ear through the surrounding bones using a special type of headband. When we compare Pure Tone test results and Bone Conduction test results, we are able to distinguish between sensorineural or conductive type hearing loss.

Schedule a Comprehensive Hearing Assessment

The first step on your journey to better hearing is to learn the truth about your hearing challenges by committing to an easy, non-invasive hearing evaluation to assess your ability to hear in quiet and in noise. Together we’ll identify the source of your hearing challenges and recommend solutions to overcome those challenges.

Contact Nelson Audiology, Inc. for a comprehensive hearing assessment by submitting the adjacent form so we can help you start your journey toward better hearing and a more active, independent lifestyle.

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What Our Delighted Patients Say

M. Christine Diggers

"I was not looking forward to having to get new hearing aids, but my whole experience at the Ojai office went very smoothly and Dr Nelson very professional and helpful. Thanks."

David Allan

"Above & beyond customer service. They contacted my insurance company and set up my appointment. All i had to do is prove how deaf i am. Hearing aids are on the way. Excellent staff ! They truly care about the patients!"

T. Palermo

"Friendly and efficient staff. Office is clean, equipment is up to date and parking is close by. I appreciated the time Dr. Nelson took in explaining my hearing results and what they meant."

Our Experts Answer

We will work closely with you to ensure that the chosen solution meets your individual needs and preferences.

What to Expect During a Hearing Assessment at Nelson Audiology

Hearing assessments play a crucial role in identifying and addressing hearing loss, helping individuals maintain...