A Look Into The Features Of An Audiometer

By Tiffany Gill


If you have hearing loss problems, then an audiometer is the best device to evaluate to what extend your problem is. This device can also be used to test other problems specifically those that involve the Ear, nose or the throat. This device is calibrated in decibel units which are universally accepted. The calibration is however done in regular basis to ensure that the device gives a perfect reading when in use.

The device resembles a pair of headphones but is fitted with a feedback button which is controlled by a computer. The computer helps the specialist conducting the hearing loss analysis to display the data which is eventually used to form an audiogram. This audiogram is the one used to analyze the range through which a patient can react to given sound frequency.

The audiogram is plotted with the intensity of sound as the y axis in decibel units and the frequency of sound in the x- axis in hertz. The measured reading of the patient will be noted down and used to plot such a graph. Usually, the specialist uses computer software to aid them in drawing a perfect graph. They feed the reading to the computer software which automatically plots the audiogram graph. An important frequency known as the fundamental is included in the data as it is being fed to software to ensure the resulting audiogram captures all the details of the patient.

If you decide to shop for an audiometer, you will either go for the software or the hardware type. The software type is most common in homes and educational institutions. It uses special developed software which is installed in a computer. Data fed into this software gives the hearing range of the patient under test.

The hardware type is a bit complex. It requires an experienced person to use it. It comes with an embedded control unit and a feedback button as well. It requires a special type of a computer application to display its results. This device is relatively expensive. It is found in referral hospitals and research labs.

The hearing loss procedure is diagnosed by presenting a patient with a sound from the audiometer but being varied in frequency. Their reactions to this sound of different frequencies will be noted down. It is these frequencies which are used to plot the audiogram. The medical specialist will then study the audiogram to determine the intensity of hearing loss of the patient.

During hearing loss analysis, the way through which patients respond to the sound varies. Adult patients are required to press a button while small children are provided with toys to show their reactions to the sound. Head turn can also be used to note a reaction to the sound.

An audiometer can also be used to diagnosis hearing problems in animals. Veterinary doctors do train the animals to react to these sound frequencies through different ways. They can train the animals to eat, raise special sound or behave anomaly whenever they hear such audio.




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