Should I Get a Hearing Test?
- When meeting someone for the first time, you are unable to hear them clearly.
- You listen to the television or radio at a volume level which is uncomfortably loud for others in the room.
- You frequently ask people you are speaking with to repeat themselves because it sounds as if they are mumbling or their speech is muffled.
- You have frequent ringing in your ears that doesn’t go away.
- You find it difficult to hear conversations in noisy places – such as restaurants, airports or parties.
- You are unable to hear important sounds that occur during your day, including the alarm clock, cell phone notifications or the timer bell on the oven.
- You have trouble hearing phone conversations, particularly cell phone conversations or phone calls with a great deal of background noise.
- You feel as if your inability to hear is impairing your social life.
- You find yourself trying to read lips.
If you are experiencing any of these warning signs, call or text My Hearing Aid Place at 912-600-8775 and make an appointment for a hearing test in Richmond Hill or Savannah.
A hearing test can detect issues as simple as an earwax obstruction, or as serious as permanent hearing loss. During your hearing test at My Hearing Aid Place in Richmond Hill or Savannah, we will measure the threshold at which you are able to hear specific sounds by having you listen to a series of tones at different volumes. The hearing test will also measure how well you hear and understand speech. This may include testing to determine how well you hear speech when there is considerable background noise.
After the test is completed, your hearing aid professional will create an audiogram that shows your hearing sensitivity. Using frequencies measured in Hertz (Hz), and loudness measured in decibels, the audiogram measures the lowest volume levels at which you can hear certain sounds. The louder it takes for a sound to be heard, the greater the level of hearing loss.
We will review your hearing test results with you and determine your degree of hearing loss. Afterward, you can discuss potential treatment options and which hearing aids will work best for your situation.
What Happens During Your Hearing Test at My Hearing Aid Place?
If you’ve never had a professional hearing evaluation, it’s completely normal to wonder what to expect. Here’s a simple walkthrough of what your appointment looks like at our Savannah or Richmond Hill office.
Your Arrival When you arrive, you’ll complete a brief intake form covering your health history, any medications you take, and the specific situations where your hearing is giving you trouble — crowded restaurants, phone calls, TV volume, conversations with family. The more detail you can share, the better we can tailor your evaluation.
The Ear Examination Your hearing professional will begin by looking into each ear with an otoscope — a small lighted instrument that lets us view your ear canal and eardrum. We check for earwax buildup or other obstructions that could affect your test results and are simple to address.
The Testing You’ll put on comfortable headphones in our quiet testing environment. Depending on your specific concerns, your evaluation may include a combination of the following:
Pure-Tone Audiometry — The most familiar hearing test: you’ll listen to a series of tones at different pitches and volumes and indicate each time you hear one. This maps out the frequencies you hear clearly and where gaps exist.
Speech Testing — You’ll repeat words and phrases at different volume levels to reveal how well you understand speech, not just whether you can detect sound.
Speech-in-Noise Testing — One of the most important and most overlooked tests. Background noise is added while you listen to speech, simulating real-world environments like restaurants or family gatherings. Many people with “normal” pure-tone results still struggle significantly in noise — this test catches that.
Tympanometry — A brief, painless test that introduces a small puff of air into the ear canal to measure how your eardrum moves. This helps us identify fluid behind the eardrum, earwax blockage, or other middle-ear issues.
Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) — A small probe measures tiny sounds your inner ear produces in response to stimuli. If those responses are absent, it indicates the inner ear’s hair cells may be damaged.
Reviewing Your Results Once testing is complete, your hearing professional will walk through your audiogram with you in plain language, no jargon – explaining exactly what your results mean, what frequencies are affected, the degree of any hearing loss, and what your recommended next steps are. You’ll leave with answers, not more questions.
Your entire visit typically takes about 45–60 minutes.
Ready to get started? Call or text us at 912-600-8775
We have locations in both Savannah and Richmond Hill, Monday through Friday.
Reviewed by the Doctor of Audiology at My Hearing Aid Place
Still have questions? Ask our Doctor of Audiology!
If you suffer from any form of hearing loss, call or text My Hearing Aid Place at 912-600-8775 to set up an appointment and discuss treatment options.
Most people wait an average of seven years after first noticing hearing changes before seeking help. That delay comes with real consequences that extend well beyond just missing words in conversation.
The Cognitive Connection Research has increasingly linked untreated hearing loss to a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia. When your brain works overtime trying to process incomplete sound, it diverts resources away from memory, focus, and comprehension, functions you use every day. The earlier hearing loss is identified and treated, the better positioned you are to protect your long-term cognitive health.
Fall Risk Studies have found that even mild, untreated hearing loss significantly increases the risk of falls in older adults. When we can’t fully hear what’s happening in our environment, our spatial awareness and balance system are affected in ways that aren’t always obvious until an incident occurs.
Mental and Emotional Health Adults with untreated hearing loss are significantly more likely to experience social withdrawal, emotional loneliness, and reduced engagement with the people and activities they value most. What often looks like personality change or disinterest is frequently just the exhaustion and frustration of struggling to follow conversations day after day.
The Good News: Early Action Changes Everything A hearing test is not a commitment to buy hearing aids. It is simply information — a clear, objective picture of where your hearing stands today. That picture is what makes it possible to take the right next step, whether that’s monitoring your hearing over time, a simple medical treatment, or exploring amplification options.
At My Hearing Aid Place, our Doctor of Audiology, Dr. Trisha Dibkey (Au.D.), reviews all test results with you personally and walks you through every option. There is no pressure, no rush, and no surprises.
How Often Should You Be Tested?
- Adults under 50 with no hearing concerns: every 10 years as a baseline
- Adults 50 and older: every 3 years, even without noticeable symptoms
- Anyone with known hearing loss: annually, to track changes and ensure treatment is working
- Anyone currently noticing changes: now — don’t wait
Your hearing is worth protecting.
Call or text 912-600-8775 to schedule at our Savannah or Richmond Hill location.
