What Online Tool/Service Do You Use to Test for Hidden Hearing Loss?

So I’ve now had a standard audiogram measuring from 250 Hz to 8 kHz and today I had a high frequency one all the way up to 20 kHz.

I will post the results in another thread with some further information.

However, I want to somewhat gauge for hidden hearing loss. I know an online tool isn’t going to be super reliable but it’s a starting point. I’ve been to several restaurants with music, other patrons conversing and I haven’t seemed to notice difficulty hearing the conversation I was engaged in, or even parts of conversations from those around me. I’ve maybe noticed that I’m not filtering background noise as well to where things sound more evenly matched in volume in my surroundings than staged per say, but it could be that I’m just being hypervigilant and overly analyzing things or possibly an effect of hyperacusis in my left ear.

Any suggestions or information appreciated.

 

I understand your concern. I also tried to diagnose latent hearing loss. On the Internet there are tests where they say numbers during noise, but I think it is a stupid test.

As I understand it, the main way to check is our subjective interpretation of speech in a noisy environment (the presence of illegibility, as if a person speaks a foreign language).

 

Yeah I’ve tried a few of those noises background tests and did well on them, but I’m like you skeptical that they hold much meaning. So I was hoping to find something a bit more detailed.

 

Where can I read your story?

 

Honestly, I have made an introductory post. I’ve sprinkled bits and pieces of info throughout threads I’ve created and some of the ones I participated in currently. I may make a detailed intro thread eventually.

 

Well my ENT office audiology department has hidden hearing loss testing capabilities so I guess I’ll go that route.

 

if clinical tests can't detect HHL, why would random web tools be better?

 

What do you mean.

That they in fact cannot detect it?

Or why was I asking about web tools first. If it’s the latter it’s because I had not confirmed with them yet that they had the capability. I contacted them through mychart and they just responded that they do testing for it. So I have to make an appt.

I should have asked the other day but I was distraught. I have bilateral osteomas with narrow inner auditory canals. Which could be the cause of my tinnitus but it’s uncertain. Surgery risk is increased due to the narrow canal of course. Also, since there’s no guarantee it is the cause if I incur nerve damage or hearing loss because of it there could be more loss and no reward. At the same time those things could cause tinnitus also. So it could just change the source of my tinnitus or compound the problem I suppose. Last visit I got the high frequency audiogram, but forgot to ask about hidden hearing loss testing because I was stressed.

 

becareful it might be a gimmick.

The concept of hidden hearing loss is not noises above 8khz. It's competing noises like hearing in a noisy bar or processing complex music.

Human hearing capabilities are far more complex then what we can measure. We are mammals and mammals have really good hearing out of the box until we decide to harm our ears with loud noise. People who say stupid rhetoric like "most adults can't hear above 10khz" or "that song has too many instruments/beats to follow" or "no one can hear in this noisy bar have hearing damage.

Hearing test would have to be very long and extremely technical. ENT's just want to make sure one can have enough hearing to process a 1on1 conversation in a quiet room. Any "hidden hearing loss test" is probably just a lously speech in noise test. It will get you closer to the truth but don't think any test is the holy grail.

Once again hidden hearing loss outside of human speech range can cause muffled hearing, tinnitus, hyperacusis, aural fullness and noise induced pain.

 

Yeah I don’t know what their test entails but I’ll give it a shot. I already had the high frequency audiogram. I have a large dip around 15-16 kHz, but then it shows I can hear up to 18-20kHz which they told me was surprising for my age. I’m 37. But that dip could be the cause for the tinnitus regardless. I have many factors to discuss but I wanted to gather as much info to present before I made a history thread and asked for opinions. My 8kHZ came back as “normal for my age”. No dips below 15db.

 

Your hearing is perfect.
Your tinnitus is certainly not due to a hidden hearing loss.

 

Well my concern is with these bimodal stimulation devices my understanding is if there’s a physical cause for your tinnitus they won’t give you the device or it won’t work. I’m not positive of that. I asked in the neuromod thread and one person responded they thought I was correct. So I’m just curious with the osteomas being a possible but unverifiable physical cause (unless I have two surgeries to remove them individually if the first surgery doesn’t resolve the symptoms) then that leaves me between a rock and a hard place.

 

You have osteomas?

 

Yes bilateral. One in each ear. Also narrow inner auditory canals. Especially on the right which the Dr said would obviously make the surgery more difficult. He initially said he would not do surgery because I had no hearing loss from the 8kHz audiogram. Then once I explained to him how intrusive my tinnitus was and how the hyperacusis was affecting me and I was having trouble being a father to my kids and already going through a divorce in addition to other medical problems he said he would be willing.

I’ve only had tinnitus 2 months so I’m reluctant to get the surgery posthaste. Im thinking I would at least wait six months till it was considered medically chronic before taking further action. Of course hoping it would resolve or become more manageable without medication. Currently I’m on clonazepam which quiets it considerably thankfully.

 

Osteomas in the neighbourhood of auditory structures or nerves are in any case a sufficient possible cause for tinnitus. In this respect, it could be that your tinnitus problem can be solved causally! That would be great!!

 

Yes but it could also cause nerve damage or hearing loss if something goes wrong. Which could then cause new tinnitus or compound the existing tinnitus if removing the osteomas doesn’t resolve it. I’m pretty nervous about it.

 

Of course, before a neurosurgical operation, you must obtain detailed advice on the risks involved. And, if necessary, obtain a second opinion (including MRI images).
However, - many tinnitus patients would be happy if they had a finding that could explain their suffering...

 

I’ve had MRI and CT. No second opinion as of yet. Don’t get me wrong I am kind happy but my life has been going downhill for about a year and a half straight. I developed severe dry eye syndrome and was having lots of vision problems from it and was literally getting that under control by buying $2000 scleral Contacts when the tinnitus literally came on the week this was supposed to happen. I’ve been going through a protracted divorce with my wife who has done so many horrible things like selling $4000 worth of my audio engineering equipment while I was in the psych hospital after having a nervous breakdown from my tinnitus. I lost my main job two months before this all came on and so on and so forth. With this trajectory it’s hard to be optimistic about the surgery lol. But I’m trying to get there.

 

Well I had an ABR Hearing test which is what they say they are using to detect hidden hearing loss. It came back normal. So I’m really starting to lean toward having the osteoma surgery.

I wish Lenire or one of the other devices was more feasible for me, but I have no way to travel to Ireland 4 times currently and no release of either of the US devices in the near future are guaranteed.

I truly feel like I’m between a rock and a hard place. Because the osteoma surgery may do nothing or it may fix my tinnitus. There are several reports of osteoma removal alleviating tinnitus, vertigo, and hearing loss. Again, the risks are possible loss of hearing in my ear which especially if it didn’t eliminate the tinnitus would be traumatizing. Hearing damage, death, facial nerve issues etc. Or maybe no major issues but it doesn’t eliminate the tinnitus and I had neurosurgery for nothing.

 

Man, you've had a lot to deal with.

As far as hidden hearing loss goes, I've been feeling increasingly of late that there is something new going wrong with my hearing. I've done my own test online since I got severe tinnitus using this site:

https://hearingtest.online/

The results were very close to my actual audiologist results, showing slight loss at around 1khz and 8khz but still on the mild side. However when doing the same test recently I was shocked to find I was in the "moderate hearing loss" category at most frequencies, and a couple of them were headed towards the severe zone.

My hyperacusis has been easing off recently - I can tolerate some sounds a lot better, so I think the amitriptylene has been worth the brutal side-effects. However I now understand what @Contrast has been saying about hidden hearing loss, and I intend to ask my audiologist for a further test.