Which instrument measures hearing acuity?

Which instrument measures hearing acuity?

• A. Audiometer
• B. Otoscope
• C. Tympanometer
• D. Acoustic reflectometer

Answer: (A)

Hearing acuity is determined by finding the softest sounds a person can detect across different pitches, typically across a range of frequencies. An audiometer is designed for precisely this task: it generates pure tones at various frequencies and intensities and delivers them to the patient through headphones or a bone vibrator. The patient signals when a tone is heard, allowing the clinician to document the quietest level at each frequency. Those thresholds are plotted on an audiogram, giving a clear picture of how well the person hears across the spectrum and helping distinguish normal hearing from conductive or sensorineural loss. An otoscope, by contrast, is used to look into the ear canal and visualize the eardrum. A tympanometer measures the movement of the eardrum in response to air pressure to assess middle-ear function, such as eustachian tube problems or fluid behind the eardrum. An acoustic reflectometer or related tests assess how the ear reflects sound to infer certain ear conditions, not the actual hearing thresholds.

Hearing acuity is determined by finding the softest sounds a person can detect across different pitches, typically across a range of frequencies. An audiometer is designed for precisely this task: it generates pure tones at various frequencies and intensities and delivers them to the patient through headphones or a bone vibrator. The patient signals when a tone is heard, allowing the clinician to document the quietest level at each frequency. Those thresholds are plotted on an audiogram, giving a clear picture of how well the person hears across the spectrum and helping distinguish normal hearing from conductive or sensorineural loss.

An otoscope, by contrast, is used to look into the ear canal and visualize the eardrum. A tympanometer measures the movement of the eardrum in response to air pressure to assess middle-ear function, such as eustachian tube problems or fluid behind the eardrum. An acoustic reflectometer or related tests assess how the ear reflects sound to infer certain ear conditions, not the actual hearing thresholds.