How to Diagnose Hyperacusis

Hyperacusis is an oversensitivity to sound in certain frequency ranges. Ordinary noises sound unbearably loud and the ears lose most of their ability to handle quick shifts in volume level. Hyperacusis is usually chronic and commonly accompanies a ringing in the ears.

Instructions

• 1

  Gather the presenting symptoms of hyperacusis. Patients may initially complain of annoyance, ear pain and irritation to sounds that most people don't consider annoying. Patients with hyperacusis may have a red eardrum and an eardrum that is fluttering or tensing.

• 2

  Establish the baseline thresholds for sounds. An audiologist should measure the discomfort levels for both air and bone conduction using one tone at a time. The volume should begin at the lowest possible levels and gradually increase.

• 3

  Assess the patient's sensitivity to sound using a loudness discomfort level test. A tolerance of less than 90 dB for tones and 95 dB for voice generally qualifies as an acute sensitivity to sound. However, there are no objective tests for hyperacusis.

• 4

  Conduct multiple loudness discomfort level tests over time. Hyperacusis can fluctuate considerably because of psychological factors such as anxiety, fear and pain. Average the loudness discomfort level test scores to produce the Johnson Hyperacusis Quotient.

• 5

  Determine the cause of the hyperacusis. An overexposure to excessively loud noises most commonly causes it, but certain medications also may be a contributing factor. Hyperacusis also has an association with Lyme disease, Meniere's disease and problems with the temporo-mandibular joint. Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome is a type of congenital hyperacusis.