Hearing test is best done by audiologist as they have the equipment to do so. Hearing test is not covered under Medicare. However, there are people who will be eligible for free hearing test provided by Australian government through Hearing Service Voucher.
To be eligible to a Hearing Service Voucher, you must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident 21 years or older and you meet one of the following,
- Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card
- Centrelink Sickness Allowance
- DVA Pensioner Concession Card
- White Health Repatriation Card (for hearing loss)
- Gold Health Repatriation Card
- Are a member of the Australian Defence Forces
- Partner or dependent child of an eligible person
Here, I would like to give you some understanding of types of hearing loss. There are conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss or mixed (combination of both conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss).
Conductive hearing loss occurs when there is a problem conducting sound waves anywhere along the route through the ear canal, eardrum or the middle ear.
Sensorineural hearing loss is the problem with the hearing organs such as cochlear, vestibulocochlear nerve or auditory centre of the brain.
Hearing is tested differently in children and adults. The simplest way of testing the hearing is pure tone audiometry. This involves listening to a range of beeps and whistles, and indicating when you can hear them. The softest sounds you can hear are marked on your audiogram.
Below are some examples of audiogram with types of hearing loss:
Conductive Hearing Loss Audiogram
Sensorineural Hearing Loss Audiogram
Mixed Hearing Loss Audiogram