Why We Use a Video Otoscope During Your Hearing Evaluation
A hearing evaluation should do more than tell you whether you can hear a series of tones. It should help you understand what may be affecting your hearing and give you a clearer picture of what is happening inside your ears.
That is one reason we use a video otoscope at Harmony Hearing Center in Jonesboro. This small camera allows Dr. Allen Craig to examine the ear canal and eardrum while displaying the image on a monitor, so you can often see exactly what he is seeing.
What Is a Video Otoscope?
A video otoscope is a small instrument equipped with a light and camera. It lets a hearing-care professional look into the ear canal and examine the eardrum. Unlike a traditional otoscope, the image can also be displayed on a screen where you can see it yourself.
During the examination, we may be able to identify visible issues such as excessive earwax, a blockage in the ear canal, irritation or redness, changes in the appearance of the eardrum, a foreign object, or another physical condition that could interfere with hearing testing or hearing aid use.
Sometimes the Cause of a Hearing Problem Is Visible
When hearing suddenly seems muffled or conversations become harder to understand, it is easy to assume that hearing loss has worsened or that a hearing aid is no longer working correctly. But sometimes there is a more straightforward explanation.
Earwax buildup, for example, can interfere with sound entering the ear canal. It can also affect the performance of a hearing aid. Looking inside the ear before moving forward gives us useful information and may identify something that should be addressed before hearing testing or hearing aid adjustments.
Seeing What We See Makes Hearing Care Easier to Understand
Hearing care involves terms such as ear canal, eardrum, middle ear, hearing thresholds and speech understanding. Those concepts can feel abstract when they are only explained verbally.
A video otoscope makes part of the process visual. If the ear canal is clear, you can see that. If wax or another blockage is present, you may be able to see that too. Dr. Craig can then explain what the image means and how it may relate to the next step in your care.
Why We Look Inside the Ear Before Hearing Testing
Sound has to travel through the ear canal before it reaches the eardrum and the rest of the hearing system. If that pathway is blocked or affected, it can influence how sound reaches the ear.
Examining the ear canal helps provide context before we interpret hearing-test results or make recommendations. A video otoscope is not used to make a diagnosis from an image alone. It is one piece of information that helps us decide whether hearing testing can proceed normally, whether a visible issue should be addressed first, or whether a medical referral may be appropriate.
Video Otoscopy Can Also Help Current Hearing Aid Wearers
If you already wear hearing aids and one suddenly seems quieter, muffled or uncomfortable, the problem may not always be electronic. Earwax can obstruct the device, and changes in the ear canal can affect fit or comfort.
A visual examination can help us better understand whether the issue appears to involve the ear, the hearing aid, or both before unnecessary adjustments are made.
A More Transparent Hearing Appointment
At Harmony Hearing Center, we want you to understand the reasoning behind your hearing care. Being able to see what is happening inside your ear can make the appointment feel less mysterious and help you take a more active role in decisions about your hearing.
The technology itself is useful, but the real benefit is clarity: you can see what Dr. Craig sees, ask questions about it and better understand why a particular next step is being recommended.
Schedule a Hearing Evaluation in Jonesboro, Arkansas
If you have noticed changes in your hearing, difficulty understanding conversations, trouble hearing in background noise, or concerns about how your current hearing aids are performing, a professional hearing evaluation can help determine what may be contributing to the problem.
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Allen Craig at Harmony Hearing Center in Jonesboro. Your visit can include a visual examination of the ear canal along with the hearing care needed to understand the complete picture.
