Name _________________________

Lab: Sight & Hearing

PART 1: HEARING
Background info: Sound can actually travel two pathways to the brain. One is air conduction through
the ear canal to the cochlea, which then converts the message into a neural form for the auditory nerves
and brain. But sound can also travel through bone conduction, meaning the vibrations pass through the
skull to the cochlea, bypassing the ear canal. That means that individuals with hearing loss associated
with structures of the middle ear may still be able to hear some sounds through conduction.

1. Label the ear diagram below with the following structures: pinna, auditory canal, ear drum,
cochlea, auditory nerves, semicircular canals, hammer (malleus), anvil (incus), stirrup (stapes)

2. List the order of structures through which sounds travels from the outer ear to the brain.

3. Mammals are unique in the animal kingdom in that we have 3 small bones in the inner ear. The
hammer, anvil and stirrup. What role do they play collectively in hearing?

4. Explain how the structure of the semi-circular canals allow for its function of balance and
equilibrium.
 5. What role does the cochlea play in hearing?

6. Fill in the table below related to two different types of hearing loss. The tests below will help
you determine whether your patient has hearing loss and diagnosis the type.
Type of hearing Loss What is it? What causes it? Treatable?
Conductive
Hearing Loss

Sensorineural
Hearing Loss

**Perform a Weber Test, a Rinne Test and a Balance test based on the instructions provided**

 Weber test results – Normal or Abnormal? _____________________

 Rinne Test results – Rinne Positive or Rinne Negative? ______________________

7. Explain why it makes sense that an individual with conductive hearing loss would be Rinne
negative.

8. Why is it important that an abnormal Weber test be followed by a Rinne test?

Balance Test Results

Test Balance Time
EYES open
EARS unplugged
EYES blindfolded
EARS unplugged
EYES open
EARS plugged
EYES blindfolded
EARS plugged

9. What do you notice about your results? How does closing eyes or ears impact balance?
 Hearing & Balance Lab - Procedure
Hearing/Balance Tests: Weber, Rinne & Balance

How our ears hear:

The conduction of sound through the middle ear is facilitated by the action of the three smallest bones
in the human body, the auditory ossicles. The outermost bone, the malleus (hammer), is secured to the
eardrum itself. The innermost bone, the stapes (stirrup), is connected to the cochlea. The incus (anvil)
connects the two. These three bones amplify sound coming into the ear, connect the middle and inner
ear and convert sound into vibrations to the fluid filled cochlea. This aspect of the hearing process is
ordinarily referred to as the conductive phase because sound is moving from the outer to inner ear.

Sound can also be transmitted to the fluid of the cochlea by direct conduction through the bones of the
skull, by a process in which no vibrations pass through the auditory ossicles. This kind of direct bone
conduction provides an alternative pathway for sound transmission in individuals with middle-ear
defects. The cochlea then converts those vibrations into a neural message to be sent to the brain.

Two types of hearing loss:

Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound is not conducted efficiently through the outer ear canal to
the eardrum and the tiny bones (ossicles) of the middle ear. Conductive hearing loss usually involves a
reduction in sound level or the ability to hear faint sounds. This type of hearing loss can often be
corrected medically or surgically. Some possible causes of conductive hearing loss: Fluid in the
middle ear from colds, ear infection (otitis media), allergies, perforated eardrum, benign tumors,
earwax, presence of a foreign body, or a malformation of structures in the outer & middle ear.

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) occurs when there is damage to the inner ear (cochlea), or to the
nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. Most of the time, SNHL cannot be medically or
surgically corrected. This is the most common type of permanent hearing loss. SNHL reduces the
ability to hear faint sounds. Even when speech is loud enough to hear, it may still be unclear or sound
muffled. Some possible causes of SNHL: Illnesses, drugs that are toxic to hearing, hearing loss that
runs in the family (genetic or hereditary), aging, head trauma, malformation of the inner ear and
exposure to loud noise.

Weber Hearing Test

In the Weber test a vibrating tuning fork is placed on top of the head
equal distance from the patient's ears and in contact with the cranium.
The patient is asked to report in which ear the sound is heard louder,
softer or whether it’s the same in both ears.

Normal Result: Patient reports hearing equally on both sides.

Abnormal Results: Patient reports hearing the tuning fork louder on

one side. (Sign of either sensorineural or conductive hearing loss on
one side.) To further diagnose the patient’s type of hearing loss, a
Rinne Test is required.
The Rinne Test
The Rinne test, originally designed by the German otologist, Dr.
A. Rinne, differentiates between conductive and sensorineural
hearing impairments. A vibrating tuning fork is held against the
mastoid process of the temporal bone (the knob at the base of the
ear) until the subject can no longer hear the tone, at which time
the investigator quickly places the fork in front of the ear.

Rinne Positive - Patient can hear the tuning fork for a short
period of time by air conduction after bone conduction was no
longer detectable. This is a normal result for someone with no
hearing loss because air conduction is more effective. This is
also seen in patients with sensorineural hearing loss, but the
length with which they hear the sound after bone conduction is
decreased.

Abnormal Result: Rinne negative – Patient can not hear the

tuning fork by air conduction after bone conduction was no longer detectable. Individuals with middle
or inner ear defects are usually Rinne positive because they hear better through bone conduction than
air conduction through the middle ear.

Balance Test (Equilibrium)

We all are aware that in sitting, reclining, or standing erect we have a very particular sense of being in
a state of balance. Anyone knows who has experienced disequilibrium or vertigo can attest to how
important this sense of balance is. The sense of balance or equilibrium is dependent upon the proper
functioning of an organ of the inner ear, the semicircular canals, but is also associated with sight,
hearing, and the proprioceptive sense (the awareness we have of our body movements and of where
our limbs are located in space).

Procedures
Students will work in groups of two or three for this experiment.
1. The subject should stand in the tile with one foot and touch the other foot to their knee in any way
they choose.
2. The test will measure the length of time the subject can remain standing in this position (with one
foot in the tile and the other foot touching the knee) to a limit of 90 seconds. One student will
act as timer; the second (or the same student) will observe the movements of the subject and
stop the timer when the subject loses their balance.
3. With the procedure outlined above, test the ability of the subject to balance themselves under four
separate conditions.
a. With eyes open and ears unplugged.
b. With eyes blindfolded and ears unplugged.
c. With eyes open and ears plugged.
d. With eyes blindfolded and ears plugged.
4. Record your data and collect the group data for analysis.
PART 2: SIGHT
EYE DISSECTION!!!!!
**Following the Instructions on the Eye Dissection Lab – Procedures**

Prelab: Before you begin the dissection, using the terms below, label the diagrams below.

cornea, sclera, iris, pupil, retina, blind spot, lens, aqueous humor (anterior cavity), optic nerve,
vitreous humor (posterior cavity)

Post Lab Questions

What role do each of these structures play in vision?
a. Cornea

b. Pupil

c. Iris

d. Lens

e. Sclera
 f. Retina

g. Optic nerve

2. List in correct order, the eye parts through which light must pass to allow you see.

3. Using your resources as references, explain what each of the following eye problems are,
what eye structure is involved?
a. Glaucoma

b. Conjunctivitis

4. Lasik surgery is used to correct the eye’s ability to focus clearly. When an individual is
nearsighted (myopia), they can not see far distances. This is because the eyeball is too
long, so light does not focus on the retina, blurring vision. What eye part do you think is
altered during this type of surgery and why?

5. When you were dissecting the eye, during the removal of the retina, you might have noticed
it was attached at one spot on the back of the eye. This is the blind spot. What is its
limitation and how is it explained by its structure?

Test your blind spot. Close your left eye, hold the paper up (about an arm’s length away) and stare at
the X with your right eye. Move the paper slowly closer to your face until the black spot disappears.