Hearing loss can be gradual and difficult to notice until it’s advanced. That’s why you should have your hearing screened once a year. Not only will this help uncover changes in your hearing early, it can also detect early signs of other health issues.

Who Should Get a Hearing Test?

Young girl wearing headphones for her hearing test

You should get a hearing test if you find yourself:

Straining to hear conversations
Asking family and friends to repeat themselves often
Missing lines in movies or at the theater
Listening to the TV at a level so loud that others complain
Turning the volume up all the way on your phone

What Will a Hearing Test Show?

Hearing tests measure your ability to hear different frequencies at different volumes. They can also measure things like pressure behind the ear to see if there is fluid behind the eardrum. When you’re finished, you’ll get an audiogram, which is a printout of your test results. If it turns out you need hearing aids, the audiogram helps us program your hearing aid to your specific hearing loss, similar to getting a prescription for eyeglasses.

What Happens During a Hearing Test?

Your hearing is an important part of your overall health. Because hearing loss is often related to other health issues, we’ll begin by reviewing recent changes to your health. We’ll also ask a number of questions about where you notice you are struggling to hear. Your answers will provide clues as to what kind of hearing loss you’re experiencing and how to best treat it.

We’ll also take a look in your ears to make sure there isn’t any ear wax blocking the canal and to look for signs of infection. Depending on what this initial hearing evaluation uncovers we may opt to do additional hearing tests.

Audiometric Hearing Test

Can you hear sounds, but have trouble making out what people are saying? This hearing test will determine how well you hear different tones and how well you’re able to hear words. We’ll say words that are commonly misunderstood and ask you to repeat them. The results of this test show your hearing loss as a percentage and is a good indication of whether hearing aids will work for you.

Tympanometry Hearing Test

This hearing test will gently change the ear pressure to check how well your middle ear is functioning. If your eardrum is able to move freely and the conduction of bones appear to be normal it’s a sign that your hearing loss is not caused by things like an infection, congestion, or an obstruction

How to Read Your Hearing Test Results

Your hearing test results will come to you as a chart called an audiogram. Along the left side is the volume as measured in decibels. Along the bottom are frequencies. Laying it out on a chart allows you to see clearly whether you have hearing loss at higher or lower frequencies and how bad it is. (Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through this.) If you can’t hear a sound until it’s at least 30 decibels you have some hearing loss. The louder a sound has to be before you hear it, the more severe your hearing loss is.

Why Get Your Hearing Test at an ENT Practice?

There’s an important difference between getting a hearing test at a standalone hearing aid center and getting one at a full ENT medical practice like Corpus Christi ENT Sinus & Allergy.

Hearing loss isn’t always just about aging or noise exposure. It can be caused by ear infections, fluid behind the eardrum, a perforated eardrum, earwax impaction, Eustachian tube dysfunction, or in rare cases, more serious medical conditions. A standalone hearing aid practice can identify that you have hearing loss — but they cannot diagnose or treat the underlying medical cause.

At Corpus Christi ENT Sinus & Allergy, your hearing test is backed by a full ENT medical team. If your evaluation reveals something that goes beyond a hearing aid fitting — such as chronic ear infections, middle ear fluid, a perforated eardrum, or a condition requiring further evaluation — you don’t need a separate referral or a second appointment somewhere else. Your audiologist and ENT physician work together under one roof.

This matters most if you:

Have had frequent ear infections, fluid, or pressure in your ears

Experience dizziness or balance problems alongside hearing loss

Have a history of ear surgeries or perforated eardrums

Are concerned your child’s hearing loss may have a treatable medical cause

Have been told by a hearing aid provider that your hearing loss is “not typical”

Getting tested here means your hearing health is evaluated in full context — not just measured for a device sale.

Hearing Test FAQs — Corpus Christi, TX

A comprehensive hearing evaluation at Corpus Christi ENT Sinus & Allergy typically takes 45–60 minutes. This includes a review of your health history, a physical exam of your ears, the hearing tests themselves, and a full walkthrough of your results with your provider.

Not at all. Hearing tests are completely non-invasive and painless. You’ll wear headphones and listen to a series of tones and words — many patients describe the process as simple and relaxed.

A comprehensive evaluation can identify conductive hearing loss (caused by earwax buildup, fluid, infection, or problems with the eardrum or middle ear bones) and sensorineural hearing loss (caused by damage to the inner ear or auditory nerve from aging or noise exposure). Because our practice is an ENT clinic, we are also equipped to medically evaluate and treat the underlying causes of conductive hearing loss — not just fit hearing aids.

A hearing screening is a quick pass/fail check — it can flag a potential concern, but it cannot tell you the type, degree, or cause of hearing loss. Our comprehensive hearing evaluations use calibrated diagnostic equipment to produce a detailed audiogram and give your provider the information needed to create a real treatment plan.

We recommend adults have a baseline hearing evaluation and recheck every three to five years. If you are over 60, regularly exposed to loud noise at work or recreation, or notice any changes in your hearing, annual testing is advised.

Coverage varies by plan. If your primary care physician has referred you, Medicare may cover the cost of your diagnostic hearing evaluation. Our team will verify your specific benefits before your appointment — contact us and we’ll help you understand your coverage.

No referral is required to schedule directly with our team. However, if you need Medicare to cover the visit, a referral from your primary care physician is typically required. We’re happy to help coordinate that if needed.

Yes. Hearing loss in children can affect speech development, school performance, and social growth. We offer hearing evaluations for pediatric patients and can coordinate with our ENT physicians when medical treatment may be needed.