Posted on: Saturday, June 14, 2003

Hearing test for hubbub put online

By Craig Stoltz
Washington Post

Last month an online ear, nose and throat enterprise partnered with the House Ear Institute to post a test called Hearing in Noise Test — Functional Screener. Find it at www.healthyconnections.com and click on "Test Your Hearing Online Now" under the "Hearing" column.

The site tests your ability to understand spoken words presented over background noise — which is to say, it's the perfect test for people who find themselves leaning forward at cocktail parties, saying, "I'm sorry? Pardon me?"

It's free, it collects no personal data and it's only 15 questions long. HINT-FS requires you to listen to a sentence and to answer "yes" or "no" to the question "Did you hear every word correctly?" You can cheat, but why bother?

The test runs only on Windows and requires Active-X technology. This only means that if your computer isn't "Active-X enabled," the first time you take it you'll be prompted with that scary "Are you sure you want to open something from this site?" box. Just click yes.

As the site repeatedly points out, HINT-FS is not designed to replace medical care or professionally administered testing. But it is one way to determine whether to talk to your doctor. The site also offers useful information on hearing loss.