Weber Test

Place the fork in the middle of the head (vertex). Ask the patient if (s)he can hear the sound equally in both ears, or if it is louder on one side.

If the patient cannot hear the sound at all, try striking the fork again and pressing it against the bridge of the nose...or even the upper teeth in the midline as this facilitates bone conduction

A patient with normal hearing should hear the sound equally in both ears (AC = BC).

If a patient has a unilateral conductive loss, the Weber will localize to the affected ear (put your finger in your own ear to block it up to experience this finding). If a patient has a unilateral sensorineural loss, the Weber will localize to the ear without the hearing loss (the opposite/unaffected ear).

Back to Tuning Fork Hearing Tests