A free 45-minute hearing test. No referral.

Why a hearing test matters

Hearing often changes slowly. People turn the TV up, avoid busy restaurants, or blame other people for mumbling long before they book a test. A proper clinic assessment tells you what has changed, which ear is affected, and whether the cause is something simple like wax or something that needs a different plan.

If you already wear hearing aids, a yearly check confirms the aids still match your hearing. If you do not wear aids, the test gives a clear baseline. Under about 40 with no concerns, every three to five years is usually enough. From your sixties onwards, yearly checks make more sense.

What we test in clinic

The appointment is not a five-minute screening booth. Your audiologist takes a short history first, then looks in both ears with otoscopy before any tones are played. If wax is blocking the canal, we say so straight away. A hearing test through impacted wax is not useful, and we will talk about microsuction before we continue.

Pure tone audiometry measures the softest sounds you can hear across the frequencies that matter for speech. You sit in a quiet booth and respond to tones in each ear. When it helps, we also check how you hear speech in background noise, because that is where many people struggle first.

You leave with an audiogram you can keep. We explain the graph without jargon. Hearing aids are only discussed when the results and your day-to-day life point that way. If you later choose aids, real-ear measurement is used at fitting so the sound at your eardrum matches the prescription.

• Otoscopy before testing
• Pure tone thresholds in each ear
• Speech-in-noise checks when useful
• Same-day explanation of your audiogram

Who can book, and what it costs

Adults book themselves. No GP or ENT letter is required for a private HearMed test. The clinic hearing test is €0, always. Nationwide home visits are available if you cannot travel; ask when you book.

Medical card pathways through HSE audiology are separate. They usually need a GP referral and a waitlist. HearMed's adult test is the private route: book, attend, get answers the same day.

Clinics run in Tullamore, Portlaoise and Portumna as full-time centres. We also hold clinic in Newbridge (Tuesdays), Templemore (first Wednesday of the month) and Athenry (every second Wednesday at O'Flaherty's Pharmacy). Choose the town that suits you when you book.

After the test

Some people leave with nothing to do except a review date. Others need wax cleared first. If hearing aids would help, we talk through styles, brands we fit, and the PRSI Treatment Benefit of up to €500 per aid (€1,000 a pair) when you qualify. The grant is taken off at the till. Bring your PPS number if you want us to check eligibility.

Rose Multaney and Rauri Keogh lead clinical care across the network. Follow-up programming, cleaning and warranty support stay with the same practice, not a call centre.