Services
The full list of audiology services offered at the Midstream practice — with a short plain-English description of each.
Jump to a service
- · Hearing assessments — Pure tone audiometry, Speech audiometry, Tympanometry, Acoustic reflex testing, Otoacoustic emissions (OAE), Auditory brainstem response (ABR), Newborn hearing screening, Paediatric hearing assessment
- · Hearing aids — Hearing aid fitting (BTE, RIE, ITE, ITC, CIC), Real-ear measurement, Hearing aid fine-tuning and follow-up
- · Vestibular & balance testing — Videonystagmography (VNG), Caloric irrigation, Dix-Hallpike and positional testing, Video Head-Impulse Test (vHIT), Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA), Electrocochleography (ECochG), Cervical and ocular VEMP, Vestibular rehabilitation
- · Tinnitus — Tinnitus assessment and management
- · Medical aids & payment
Hearing assessments
Pure tone audiometry
The core hearing test. You listen to soft tones at different pitches through earphones and press a button when you hear them. Maps the softest sound you can hear at each frequency and produces your audiogram.
Speech audiometry
Measures how well you hear and understand words at different volumes. Tells us whether your difficulty is hearing sound or understanding speech — an important distinction for hearing aid decisions.
Tympanometry
A quick pressure test that checks whether the eardrum and middle ear are moving normally. Useful for detecting fluid, blocked Eustachian tubes, and eardrum perforations.
Acoustic reflex testing
Measures the automatic reflex of the tiny stapedius muscle in the middle ear to loud sound. Helps localise where a hearing problem sits along the auditory pathway.
Otoacoustic emissions (OAE)
Records the tiny sounds produced by healthy hair cells inside the cochlea. Non-invasive and fast — commonly used for newborn screening and for tracking cochlear health over time.
Auditory brainstem response (ABR)
Measures the electrical response of the hearing nerve and brainstem to sound using surface electrodes. Used for babies who cannot respond behaviourally, and to investigate specific auditory nerve concerns.
Newborn hearing screening
Gentle, non-invasive OAE (and where needed, ABR) screening for babies from a few days old. Early identification of hearing loss makes an enormous difference to speech and language development.
Paediatric hearing assessment
Age-appropriate testing for infants, toddlers, and school-age children — using play, visual reinforcement, or standard audiometry depending on the child. Useful for school-readiness and for children with speech, language, or attention concerns.
Hearing aids
Hearing aid fitting (BTE, RIE, ITE, ITC, CIC)
Selection and fitting of hearing aids from major manufacturers. We fit behind-the-ear (BTE), receiver-in-ear (RIE), and custom in-the-ear devices (ITE, ITC, CIC) — matched to your hearing loss, lifestyle, and dexterity.
Real-ear measurement
Verifies that the hearing aid is actually delivering the right amount of sound inside your ear canal — not just what the fitting software predicts. A gold-standard verification step that many practices skip.
Hearing aid fine-tuning and follow-up
Structured follow-up visits to fine-tune settings as your brain adapts, plus ongoing cleaning, tube changes, and small repairs. Included with every fitting.
Vestibular & balance testing
Videonystagmography (VNG)
Uses infrared goggles to record eye movements while we test different aspects of the vestibular system. The core of any dizziness workup.
Caloric irrigation
Warm and cool air (or water) is gently delivered to each ear canal in turn. The response tells us how well each inner ear balance organ is working — one ear at a time.
Dix-Hallpike and positional testing
A series of head and body positions that provoke — and identify — benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Where BPPV is confirmed, it is usually treatable in the same visit with a repositioning manoeuvre.
Video Head-Impulse Test (vHIT)
A quick, well-tolerated test of each of the six semicircular canals using small, fast head movements. Complements caloric testing and picks up problems the calorics can miss.
Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA)
Measures how clearly you can see while your head is moving. Reveals functional vestibular loss that affects everyday activities like walking, driving, and reading signs.
Electrocochleography (ECochG)
Records electrical activity from the cochlea in response to sound. Particularly useful when Ménière's disease or endolymphatic hydrops are suspected.
Cervical and ocular VEMP
Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials — small muscle responses to sound that test the otolith organs (saccule and utricle). The only routine clinical test of these specific balance organs.
Vestibular rehabilitation
Individualised exercises that help the brain compensate for a vestibular loss, reduce dizziness with movement, and rebuild confidence in balance. Progress is reviewed at follow-up visits.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus assessment and management
A structured tinnitus consultation: history, hearing assessment, tinnitus pitch and loudness matching, education about what does and does not help, and — where appropriate — sound therapy and hearing aid–based tinnitus relief.
Medical aids & payment
The practice charges 100% medical aid tariff. Where your medical aid covers the tests, there are no co-payments — you pay nothing in addition to what your scheme reimburses. Most medical aids cover diagnostic audiology and vestibular testing.
Hearing aid cover varies by plan. We will gladly send you a quote with the relevant procedure codes so you can confirm benefits with your scheme before your visit.