Question

A tuning fork is placed against the forehead of a patient. The sound is loudest in the left ear. What can you determine about the patient’s hearing? What is happening in the left ear and the right ear? Begin your Internet search with the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders website. Also, search for deafness, hearing, and cochlea. (please explain and provide a reference)

Answer 1

Patient have unilateral conductive hearing loss of left ear. Here the tuning fork test is Weber's test.

Patient with unilateral conductive hearing loss will hear the sound of  tuning fork loudest in the affected ear.

This is because the ear with the conductive hearing loss is only receiving input from the bone conduction and no air conduction, and the sound is perceived as louder in that ear.

Normal hearing ability across frequencies in the other ear (right ear) .