Get Your Hearing Checked Online
Nowadays, we do everything online, using the Internet to find our significant others, see which local dentist is the best, and reconnect the kid who used to shoot spitballs at us in tenth-grade study hall. But did you know that you can get your hearing tested online? Online hearing tests are a fast, convenient way for you to get your hearing checked in the privacy of your own home.
Wait…Do I Really Need a Hearing Test?
We would all like to stay forever young but getting older happens to the best of us. According to WebMD, hearing loss affects over 30% of people over the age of 65. Younger people aren’t immune to hearing problems, either. Eight million people between the ages of 18 and 44 experience hearing loss, as well as almost 14% of people between 45 and 64.
Most people know that aging and exposure to excessive noise over time can cause hearing loss but many don’t know that diabetes, smoking, obesity, and high blood pressure can also contribute to hearing problems. Signs that you may have hearing loss can include difficulty hearing on the phone, turning the television volume up too loud, and people’s voices sounding muffled, as if they are underwater. If you’ve noticed these issues, experienced any medical problems that can cause hearing loss, or if you simply haven’t had your ears tested since elementary school, it’s time for a hearing test.
Get Your Hearing Tested Online
Finding an online hearing test is as easy as typing those words into Google or any other search engine. You can take the test from your desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or even your phone. They do recommend that you use headphones. It’s critical that you find a quiet area to take the test. You may be asked simple questions such as your age and gender. It will be necessary for you to adjust the volume of your device.
Some online hearing tests ask you for an e-mail address but many do not. The test will usually take about five minutes. They may ask you to identify soft ordinary sounds such as leaves rustling, fans whirling, coins jingling, and birds or insects chirping. Typically, you will have to listen to a conversation with background noise, possibly a vacuum running, restaurant sounds, or simply white noise. You will then be asked to identify the words you listened to or answer a question about the conversation you heard. Most of the tests are in a multiple-choice format. Best of all, online hearing tests are completely free.