Oh, if only getting a hearing aid was as easy as slipping it in your ear and stepping out of the audiologist’s office. Typically, there’s a few more steps involved: Your hearing care provider will want to confirm you understand how to use your new hearing aids, and that they’re properly calibrated and programmed for your needs. 
As part of the hearing aid fitting process, many hearing specialists and audiologists will also perform a real ear measurement (sometimes also referred to as “real ear verification”). 
Simply put, this test confirms that the settings on your hearing aid are providing soft and loud sounds at the correct amplification. That is, instead of solely relying on your report of how things sound with the hearing aid on, real ear measurement provides a report on the sound levels you’re receiving. 
Your provider also will ask you questions about how things sound, and aim to get a sense of your hearing-related goals.
All that information—combined with the objective information on how the hearing aid works in your ear—can help your provider make sure the hearing aid is performing as it should. 
If your audiologist or hearing instrument specialist performs this procedure, here’s what you can expect:  The audiologist will place the probe in your ear, about six millimeters (roughly a quarter of an inch) from your eardrum. Getting the probe tube in the right spot is key to accurate measurements. With the probe in place, the audiologist will next place your hearing aids in. You’ll have both the probe and your new hearing aids in your ears.  Now it’s time to listen. The goal is for your audiologist to measure the hearing aids’ ability, at the eardrum, to amplify soft, average, and loud speech. During this step, expect that the audiologist may make some adjustments. This whole process, from start to finish, on both ears, typically takes around 10 minutes. By doing real ear measurement the Audiologist is verifying more broadly that the hearing aid is working in the person’s ear.
Every ear is unique. The size of your ear and the shape of the ear canal is different from the size and shape of your parents or siblings. Through real ear measurement, audiologists can confirm that sounds in all pitches are properly amplified for your specific ears.  To schedule a hearing evaluation today, please call Audiology Associates at 661-284-1900. Kevin Bolder, Au.D and John Davis, Au.D are two of the best in Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valley. Visit our website at www.AudiologyAssociates.net or stop by our office located at 25425 Orchard Village Road, Ste 220, CA 91355. We are hearing healthcare excellence!