Tom, Your screening results from the test at the chain drug store, by a "hearing aid salesman" are indeed excellent results! It's hard outside of a sound booth to get such super,low scores, as the ambient noise typically elevates thresholds--often as high as 30dB. I do think it is wise to get tested at higher frequencies than 6000Hz., because it is in those frequencies where hearing loss caused by noise exposure or aging typically start. Detecting hearing loss in those high frequencies is like an early warning signal, that you are susceptible to hearing loss (some lucky people aren't!) Testing in the low frequencies is generally not as important, because loss in those areas would probably have been detected long before you turned 55, as they are generally caused by diseases with a genetic cause (and other symptoms) or specific low frequency exposure (submarine's). Today the difference between "a hearing aid salesman" and "a real audiologist" are getting obscured as hearing aid dispensers/specialists are increasingly being required to have all the same education as an audiologist, except for the classes in medical audiology, pediatrics, and balance testing. I know because I've taken undergraduate audiology classes, graduate audiology classes and now have a license as a hearing aid specialist. I didn't get transfer credit for mY medical audiology classes. It's like anything else, the ethics and professionalism of the individual who is serving you is what matters. When you make your appointment with the audiologist, be sure to request testing at higher than 8,000Hz. Also, pure tone testing is only one part of a complete hearing test battery. Congratulations on your excellent results!!! Diane Hofstetter List, While at my local bid chain drug store today, they had a Beltone hearing center booth set up. I took a ten minute audiogram screening (as opposed to the 90 minute test) and had happy results. They screen between 250Hz and 6K Hz and I could hear the tones as low as 5db to 15 db . The technician said my age adjusted target (55) is to hear all tones at or below 20db. I think I'll schedule a full test with a real audiologist instead of a hearing aid salesperson at my next physical to get a baseline. Any of my compadres on list had a like test? Tom Driscoll Diane Hofstetter
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