What to Expect at Your First Visit
Your experience matters to us.
At Easley Audiology, we treat each patient like a member of our own family. Alisa always takes the time to thoroughly explain the hearing evaluation process and address any questions. Our comprehensive hearing evaluations utilize a series of tests to accurately diagnose and treat your symptoms. We’ll always present a variety of solutions and empower our patients to make the treatment choices that best meet their needs.
Before Your First Appointment
It’s normal to experience a bit of nerves before visiting a healthcare professional for the first time, so at Easley Audiology it’s our goal to make your visit as relaxed and comfortable as possible. Your first appointment with us is an important opportunity for us to get to know your needs, concerns, and hopes for long-term results. Prior to seeing one of our specialists, you’ll be asked to complete a new patient intake form, which requests personal information on any injuries, trauma, or exposure to loud noises in your history. We’ll also ask for an overview of your medical history, including any medications you may be currently taking.
You’re more than welcome to bring a loved one to your hearing evaluation with you. Hearing loss affects more than just the patient, and we’re happy to answer any questions that you or your family may have. Having support from a friend, partner, or family member can also be helpful as you choose the best treatment option for your needs.
Hearing Consultation: Reviewing Your Needs
We begin your hearing evaluation by getting to know you and your concerns. Together, we’ll review your information and discuss the challenges you’re experiencing. Understanding your history, current symptoms, and unique hearing needs for your lifestyle helps us determine the cause of, and solution for, any hearing issues we may uncover.
During the Hearing Evaluation
A comprehensive visit at Easley Audiology typically takes between 30 and 60 minutes.
We start by checking the inside of your ears to ensure they are clear and healthy. Any ear wax blockage or abnormalities could be contributing factors to your hearing impairment, so it’s helpful for our professionals to rule out these possibilities before beginning your hearing test.
Hearing Test
We’re proud to offer our patients the latest technology when it comes to your hearing test. We’ll ask you to put on a pair of specialized headphones and we will play a variety of sounds that range in frequency and volume. By raising your hand each time you hear a sound emitted, it allows us to better understand which tones you are able to clearly hear and which ones you cannot. Since hearing loss presents itself in a variety of ways, this information will paint an overall picture of the best types of treatment for your specific needs.
The hearing evaluation may include any of the following tests:
- Air conduction and bone conduction testing
- Speech testing
- Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) testing
- Tympanometry or acoustic immittance testing
Reviewing Your Results
After completing a series of tests, our professionals will sit down with you and discuss your results. You can feel confident that each element of your hearing loss will be explained in great detail, as your understanding of this information will largely impact the hearing loss treatment plan that you select. Details including the type and degree of your hearing loss will be clearly explained and you’ll have an idea of how often you may be missing the sounds around you.
Should you decide to purchase hearing aids, we’ll examine the wide range of options available. And don’t worry about the misconception that hearing aids are large and bulky; hearing aid manufacturers are producing small and discrete devices that hold a variety of advanced features to make your life easier.
We’ll make a specific recommendation but will ultimately leave the decision in your hands. We always consider three main factors:
- Your type of hearing loss
- Your lifestyle
- Your budget
Our job is to inform and guide you but never to make a choice for you.
After Your Visit
Most patients find success by taking a slow and steady approach to wearing their devices, and slowly increase the amount of time they wear them each day. Our team is always here with an open-door policy and we welcome any and all questions as you get used to your devices. We recommend follow-up visits as well as regular maintenance for your hearing aids in order to achieve the best results possible. Click here to learn more about our fitting process.
Wearing hearing aids can sometimes come with a bit of a learning curve, but it’s our goal at Easley Audiology to provide support every step of the way.
Hearing evaluations are the first step toward a fuller life.
At Easley Audiology you will meet Alisa McMahon, our Audiologist who has dedicated the last 32 years to helping her patients hear to the best of their ability.
Quick Links
Contact Info
- 115 Whitmire Road, Easley, SC 29640
- (864) 855-2411
- (864) 855-2413
Office Hours
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Monday – Thursday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Friday, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm (office hours)