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 does resemble a pair of headphones. However, it has several connections which include a special personal computer. Also embedded in this device is feedback control button. This button gives feedback signals to the PC whenever pressed. During operation, a patient is subjected to different audio frequencies which are from the audiometer. The patient then presses the button whenever they hear the sound. These different frequencies through which the patient is able to hear are than compiled to a data which is used to plot an audiogram.

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.

There exist two types of audiometers. They are the software and the hardware type. The software type is also called the digital audiometers. Such devices use computer software in their operation. They are mostly used by speech therapists in educational institutions to guide students with hearing capabilities.

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.

During hearing loss diagnosis, the audiometer presents a sound to a patient which is then subjected to different frequencies. The reaction of the patient to this sound will be displayed in the computer. The doctor will vary this sound continually until they are satisfied that a complete hearing loss analysis is conducted. They will then construct an audiogram based ion these readings. The graph will then be analyzed to determine the range of frequencies where the patient is reacting to the sound. A headphone is provided to the patient to shield them from external disturbances.

An adult person will show a reaction to certain frequencies by pressing a button which is usually embedded to the device. For small children, their reaction is normally different. Their response can be a head turn or by pressing a toy which is usually provided during the test.

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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