The Hearing Test

First the eyes, then the teeth, and now the ears. This summer I'm having my head examined.

Not so pristine: above the 20db line
is good, below it is bad.

The otolaryngologist (now there's a mouthful) inspected the ear canals and pronounced them "pristine," a word never before associated with my physical self. I was ready for the hearing test.

The audiologist shouted, "Hello! How are you! I'm Dr. Morgan!" Unlike other people, audiologists show politeness by yelling. As he saw that I understood, he lowered the volume.

The doctor ran a series of tests, including press-the-button-when-you-hear-the-tone and repeat-the-word-that-I'm-whispering (audiologists use more scientific-sounding terms). The findings: I have mild-to-moderate hearing loss, worse at the higher frequencies. The advice: hearing aids should be considered if my hearing worsens. The prognosis: further deterioration is a possibility, but a trend can't be drawn from a single measurement. Come back in a year and do it again.

One more thought: using context and experience the brain is always racing to fill in the video and audio blank spots in the sensory world. These blank spots crop up more frequently as we age, and we are often unaware that we are compensating. I'm not going to take action now because everything seems to be okay......what could go wrong? © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Through the glass silently.