Newborn Hearing Screening and OAE Testing in Pune

Here is what each test does, and what the results mean in general. Your audiologist explains your own baby’s results.

How an otoacoustic emissions test works

A healthy inner ear doesn’t only receive sound. Its outer hair cells also send back a faint echo, called an otoacoustic emission. For an OAE test, a soft tip is placed at the entrance of your baby’s ear canal. It plays quiet clicks or tones and listens for that echo with a sensitive microphone. OAE testing is quick and needs no response from your baby. It’s done while your baby is asleep or calm.

Pass and refer: what the results mean

A pass means a clear echo was recorded, which suggests the inner ear was working well at the time of the test. A refer means no clear echo was found. That is common in the first days of life, often because of fluid or debris in the ear canal, movement or background noise, and it doesn’t mean your baby has a hearing loss. It means a repeat screen is needed, and sometimes a BERA, to be sure.

When BERA is needed

BERA records how the hearing nerve and brainstem respond to sound, using soft sensors on the skin. Because it checks the pathway beyond the inner ear, it’s used when a baby doesn’t pass a repeat OAE screen, to confirm results and to estimate how well a baby hears. It’s also often advised for babies who needed special care after birth. It’s done while your baby sleeps.

A pass, and hearing later on

Passing the newborn screen is reassuring, but hearing can still change later, for example after ear infections or some illnesses. Trust your instincts. If your baby doesn’t startle at loud sounds, or seems not to notice voices, book an infant hearing test at any age. Our hearing tests cover every age.

We screen babies at our Viman Nagar clinic, open all days from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, and we provide newborn hearing screening for hospitals and clinics. If your baby was screened in hospital and needs a repeat, bring any results you were given.

Babies are easiest to test when they’re asleep or settled, so plan the visit around a feed or a nap if you can. Nothing about the test hurts.

We explain the result before you leave. If a follow-up is needed, we arrange the right diagnostic tests and tell you what each one is for. If a hearing loss is confirmed, early support matters, and because hearing and speech are closely linked, our speech and language team can support your child as they grow.

Prism tests hearing and balance at every age, so the whole family can be cared for in one place, with tinnitus testing for ringing in the ears and an ear balance test for dizziness or vertigo.