Lab Reports Decoded

Audiogram Explained: Spotting Hearing Loss on the Graph (Video)

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Read the full written guide: Audiogram Report: Reading the Hearing Test Graph and dB Loss →

An audiogram is a simple graph that shows the quietest sounds you can hear at each pitch. Learn how to read the O and X marks, understand dB levels, and spot patterns like conductive gaps or age-related loss. We also share a crucial tip for sudden hearing loss that could save your hearing. This video is for general awareness and not a substitute for professional medical advice.

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Transcript

Did you know a normal hearing range tops at just 25 dB?

Did you know a normal hearing range tops at just 25 dB?

Audiogram Basics

We’ll decode the audiogram so you can read your hearing chart in seconds, and reveal a crucial emergency tip at the end.

Graph Basics

The graph plots pitch across the top and loudness down the side. Your right ear gets an O, left ear an X. The lower the dot, the louder the beep you needed to hear.

Symbols & Axes

Pitch runs from low Hertz on the left to high on the right. Decibels start quiet at the top and climb toward the bottom. Air-conduction marks are O and X; bone-conduction uses brackets or arrows.

dB Levels

If your marks sit between zero and twenty-five decibels, hearing is considered normal. Anything up to forty decibels is a mild loss, and above forty-one moves into moderate or severe territory.

Conductive vs Sensorineural

When the bone-conduction dots stay near the top while the air-conduction dots dip, that air-bone gap points to conductive loss, often treatable. If both sets fall together, the issue is sensorineural, usually not reversible.

Patterns to Spot

A sloping line that’s high at low pitches but drops at high ones signals age-related loss. A sharp notch around four kilohertz that recovers higher up is classic noise damage. If one ear is much worse, get a professional opinion.

Hair cells per ear

Your ear contains roughly fifteen thousand tiny hair cells, and once they’re damaged they don’t grow back.

Quick quote

Remember, on an audiogram higher marks mean better hearing; a line sliding down shows sounds slipping out of reach.

The one emergency tip

If you lose hearing in one ear over hours or a few days, treat it as an emergency and see an ENT specialist the same day. Same goes for sudden pain with fever, drainage, dizziness, facial droop, or after a head injury. Skip home tricks; professional care matters.

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Read the full guide

The full guide is on thecareonline.com. General information only, so check with your doctor for your own case.

Nothing on The Care Online is medical advice. Traditional practices are described as tradition, not as fact. Take a persistent or serious concern to a qualified professional. See how videos and posts are made on our methodology page.