In a person who can hear normally, Weber’s test is “indifferent” and hearing acuity in air conduction (normal sounds) is equivalent to right and left.

In conductive hearing loss, the injured ear will hear air conduction sounds less well and the Weber test will be “lateralized”, that is, better on the affected side.

In the event of sensorineural hearing loss, the injured ear will hear air conduction sounds less well, but the Weber test will be lateralized on the healthy side.

Depending on the results, the doctor may prescribe other tests, in particular audiometric tests, to refine the diagnosis and offer adequate treatment.

Several pathologies can be responsible for hearing loss:

• hypoacousie : partial deafness
• conductive hearing loss : caused by an infection or inflammation of the middle ear (otitis media), an injury to the eardrum, or a plug of earwax
• sensorineural deafness : damage to the hearing nerve due to certain drugs, for example, or trauma to hearing cells (excessive noise, nightclub, occupational exposure, etc.)