Hearing Tests
Clear answers about your hearing — at any age.
Hearing loss doesn’t just make conversations harder — it can affect your health, relationships, and quality of life. Left untreated, it’s been linked to cognitive decline, memory issues, depression, and other serious conditions.
A hearing evaluation is the first step toward understanding what’s going on and how to address it. At Grand Rapids Ear, Nose & Throat, our audiology team provides thorough, stress-free hearing tests to help you get clear answers and plan the right next steps.
If you’re noticing changes or haven’t had a hearing test in a while, schedule an evaluation today.
When to Get Checked
You may benefit from a hearing evaluation if you:
- Notice difficulty hearing conversations, especially in noisy settings
- Find yourself turning up the volume on the TV or phone
- Feel like others are mumbling
- Frequently ask people to repeat themselves
- Experience ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Haven’t had a hearing test in several years
What to Expect
Your visit will start with a conversation about your hearing and any concerns you’ve noticed. We’ll take a look in your ears to check for wax buildup, fluid, or signs of infection.
From there, we’ll perform a few simple tests to measure how well you hear different sounds and speech. These may include:
- Pure-tone testing to check the softest sounds you can hear at various pitches
- Speech testing to see how clearly you understand words
- Tympanometry to evaluate middle ear function and pressure
- Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) to assess inner ear response, especially in young children
The complete evaluation typically takes 30–60 minutes, and we will review your results with you before you leave.
Results and Next Steps
After the evaluation, we’ll explain your results in clear, simple terms — and what they mean for your daily life. Based on your hearing profile, we may recommend:
- No treatment if your hearing is within normal limits
- Monitoring with follow-up evaluations, especially for age-related or borderline changes
- Hearing protection strategies if you’re regularly exposed to loud environments, including custom hearing protection
- Hearing aids to improve clarity, comfort, and connection if you have treatable hearing loss
- Cochlear or bone-anchored implants for more advanced hearing loss that doesn’t respond well to hearing aids
Frequently Asked Questions
Most adults should get a hearing test every 3–5 years, or sooner if they notice symptoms.
Not at all — hearing evaluations are completely painless and non-invasive.
We can test your current hearing with and without your devices to ensure they’re working properly.
Yes — depending on the type and cause, hearing aids and other options can make a big difference.
Take the First Step Toward Better Hearing
If you’ve noticed changes in your hearing — or just want to be proactive — schedule a hearing evaluation with Grand Rapids Ear, Nose & Throat today.