Igama elithi audiometer, lisuselwa kumsindo wesiLatini (ukuzwa) kanye nelesiGreek metron (isilinganiso), limelela ithuluzi lezokwelapha elisetshenziswa ku-audiometry ukukala amandla okuzwa abantu ngabanye. Ibizwa nangokuthi i-acoumeter.

I-audiometer ivumela ukuhlolwa kokuzwa ukuthi kwenziwe ngokucacisa umkhawulo ozwakalayo wemisindo engazwakala ngokuzwa komuntu ngaphansi kwemibandela yokuhlolwa. Umsebenzi wawo ukuhlonza nokubonisa ukuphazamiseka kokuzwa ezigulini.

Kungani kufanele uhlole izindlebe

Ukuzwa kungenye yezinzwa zethu “ehlaselwa” kakhulu yimvelo. Iningi lethu namuhla liphila endaweni enomsindo owandayo, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi kusemigwaqweni, emsebenzini, lapho bedlala, ngisho nasekhaya. Ngakho-ke ukwenza ukuhlolwa kokuzwa okuvamile kunconywa ikakhulukazi, ikakhulukazi ezinganeni, ezinganeni ezincane, noma entsheni lapho ukusetshenziswa ngokweqile kwama-headphone kungaba nemiphumela emibi kakhulu. Ukuhlola kuvumela ukuthi izinkinga zokuzwa zibonwe kusenesikhathi futhi zilungiswe ngokushesha ngangokunokwenzeka. Kubantu abadala abakhombisa izimpawu zokungezwa, ukuhlolwa kusiza ukucacisa uhlobo lwesithulu nendawo ethintekayo.

Ukubunjwa

Ama-Audiometers akhiwe ngezinto ezahlukene:

• iyunithi emaphakathi elawulwa yi-manipulator, esetshenziselwa ukuthumela imisindo ehlukahlukene esigulini kanye nokurekhoda izimpendulo zayo ngokubuyisela;
• i-headset okufanele ibekwe ezindlebeni zesiguli, i-earpiece ngayinye isebenza ngokuzimela;
• isilawuli kude esinikezwe isiguli ukuthi sithumele izimpendulo;
• izintambo ukuxhuma izakhi ezahlukene ndawonye.

Ama-Audiometer angalungiswa noma aphatheke, alawulwe ngesandla noma alawulwe yikhompyutha efakwe isofthiwe efanelekile.

Ukuhlolwa kokuzwa kuwukuhlola okusheshayo, okungenabuhlungu futhi okungahlanyisi. Ihloselwe abantu abadala kanye nabantu abadala noma izingane. Ingenziwa nguchwepheshe we-ENT, udokotela osebenzayo, udokotela wesikole noma udokotela wezingane.

Izinhlobo ezimbili zokulinganisa ziyenziwa: i-tonal audiometry ne-audiometry yezwi.

I-Audiometry ye-Tonal: ukuzwa

Uchwepheshe wenza isiguli sizwe amathoni amaningana amsulwa. Umsindo ngamunye ubonakala ngamapharamitha amabili:

• Imvamisa: ukuphakama komsindo. Imvamisa ephansi ihambisana nomsindo ophansi, lapho-ke ukwandisa imvamisa, umsindo uba phezulu;
• Ukushuba: lena ivolumu yomsindo. Lapho umfutho uphezulu, umsindo uyanda.

Ngomsindo ngamunye ohloliwe, i umbundu wokuzwa kunqunywa: ubukhulu obuncane lapho umsindo uzwakala khona kumafrikhwensi athile. Kutholwa uchungechunge lwezilinganiso oluvumela ijika le-audiogram ukuthi lidwetshwe.

I-Audiometry yenkulumo: ukuqonda

Ngemuva kwe-audiometry yethoni, uchwepheshe wenza i-audiometry yenkulumo ukuze anqume ukuthi ukulahlekelwa ukuzwa kuthinta kangakanani ukuqonda kwenkulumo. Ngakho-ke akuwona umbono wemisindo ohlolwayo ngalesi sikhathi, kodwa ukuqonda kwamagama wezinhlamvu ezi-1 kuya kwezi-2 ezihlukaniswa ngokuqina okuhlukene. Lesi sivivinyo sisetshenziselwa ukuhlola umkhawulo wokuqonda amagama bese udweba i-audiogram ehambisanayo.

Ukufunda i-audiogram yethoni

Kusungulwe i-audiogram yendlebe ngayinye. Uchungechunge lwezilinganiso oluhambisana nesethi yemikhawulo yokuzwa enqunyelwe umsindo ngamunye lwenza kube nokwenzeka ukudweba ijika. Lokhu kuboniswa kugrafu, i-eksisi evundlile ehambisana namafrikhwensi kanye ne-eksisi eqondile ukuya kukuqina.

Isikali samafrikhwensi ahloliwe sisuka ku-20 Hz (Hertz) siye ku-20 Hz, kanye nesikali samandla sisuka ku-000 dB (decibel) siye ku-0 dB. Ukumela amanani wokuqina komsindo, singanikeza izibonelo ezithile:

• 30 dB: chuchotement;
• 60 dB: ingxoxo ngokuzwakalayo;
• 90 dB: traffic yasemadolobheni;
• 110 dB: ukuduma kwezulu;
• 120 dB: ikhonsathi yomculo we-rock;
• 140 dB: indiza iyasuka.

Ukuhunyushwa kwama-audiograms

Ijika ngalinye elitholiwe liqhathaniswa nejika elivamile lokuzwa. Noma yimuphi umehluko phakathi kwamajika amabili ufakazela ukulahlekelwa ukuzwa esigulini futhi kwenza kube nokwenzeka ukwazi izinga:

• kusuka ku-20 kuya ku-40 dB: ukungezwa kancane;
• kusuka ku-40 kuya ku-70 dB: ukungezwa okuphakathi;
• 70 kuya ku-90 dB: ukungezwa kahle;
• ngaphezu kwe-90 dB: ukungezwa okujulile;
• ayinakulinganiswa: ukungezwa ngokuphelele.

Ngokuya ngendawo yendlebe ethintekile, singachaza uhlobo lokungezwa:

• ukulahlekelwa kwezindlebe eziqhubekayo kuthinta indlebe ephakathi nengaphandle. Kuyisikhashana futhi kubangelwa ukuvuvukala, ukuba khona kwepulaki ye-earwax, njll.
• ukulahlekelwa ukuzwa kwe-sensorineural kuthinta indlebe ejulile futhi akunakuhlehliswa;
• ubuthulu obuxubile.

Izigaba zokusebenza

Naphezu kokubonakala kwazo okulula, ukuhlolwa kokuzwa kunokubaluleka kokucabangela.

Ngakho-ke kufanele zilungiselelwe ngokucophelela ukuze zikwazi ukukhiqizwa futhi ngaphezu kwakho konke, zidinga ukubambisana okugcwele kwesiguli:

• isiguli sifakwe endaweni ezolile, ngokufanelekile endaweni ye-acoustic;
• imisindo okokuqala isakazwa emoyeni (ngama-headphones noma izipikha) ke, uma kwenzeka ukulahlekelwa ukuzwa, ngethambo sibonga isidlidlizi esifakwe ngqo kugebhezi;
• isiguli sinepheya alikhama ukuze libonise ukuthi siwuzwile umsindo;
• ekuhlolweni kwezwi, amagama anohlamvu olu-1 kuye kwayi-2 asakazwa emoyeni futhi isiguli kufanele siwaphinde.

Izinyathelo okufanele uzithathe

Ukuqinisekisa ukuthi ukulahlekelwa kokuzwa akubangelwa ukuvaleka kwezindlebe ngepulaki ye-earwax noma ngenxa yokuvuvukala, kuhle ukwenza i-otoscopy kusengaphambili.

Kwezinye izimo, kunconywa ukwenza i-acumetry yokuqala ukuze "i-roughen" inhlabathi. Lokhu kuhlolwa kuqukethe izivivinyo ezihlukahlukene: ukuhlolwa kokuhleba okukhulu, ukuhlolwa kokuvimbela, ukuhlolwa kwemfoloko yokulungisa.

Ezinganeni nezingane ezingaphansi kweminyaka engu-4 ubudala, lapho ukusetshenziswa kwe-audiometer kungenakwenzeka, ukuhlolwa kwenziwa ngokuhlolwa kwe-Moatti (isethi yamabhokisi ama-moo angu-4) kanye nokuhlolwa kwe-Boel (idivayisi ekhiqiza imisindo yezinsimbi).

Imibandela yokukhetha kahle

• Usayizi nesisindo: ngokusetshenziswa kweziguli zangaphandle, ama-audiometer angasindi alingana esandleni, uhlobo lwe-Colson, ayakhethwa, kuyilapho ukusetshenziswa okumile, ama-audiometer amakhulu, okungenzeka ahlanganiswe namakhompyutha nokunikeza imisebenzi eyengeziwe kuzoba nelungelo.
• Ukunikezwa kwamandla: amapayipi amakhulu, ibhethri elishajekayo noma amabhethri.
• Imisebenzi: wonke amamodeli we-audiometer abelana ngemisebenzi efanayo eyisisekelo, kodwa amamodeli athuthuke kakhulu anikeza amandla engeziwe: i-spectrum ebanzi yamafrikhwensi namavolumu emisindo anezikhala ezincane phakathi kwezilinganiso ezimbili, isikrini sokufunda esinembile, njll.
• Izesekeli: amahedfoni e-audiometric anethezekile kakhulu, ibulb yokuphendula, isikhwama sokuthutha, izintambo, njll.
• Intengo: ububanzi bentengo buhluka phakathi kwama-euro angama-500 kuye kwayi-10.
• Amazinga: qinisekisa ukumakwa kwe-CE kanye newaranti.