What do Weber and Rinne tests assess?

• A. Visual acuity
• B. Type of hearing loss (conductive vs sensorineural) through tuning fork tests
• C. Cranial nerve function in swallow
• D. Equilibrium via caloric tests

Answer: (B)

Weber and Rinne tests assess the type of hearing loss (conductive vs sensorineural) by using a tuning fork to compare how sound is transmitted through the ear.

In the Weber test, you strike the tuning fork and place it on the midline of the skull. The patient reports which ear sounds louder in. If the sound localizes to the affected ear, that suggests conductive hearing loss on that side, because bone conduction bypasses the impaired outer or middle ear and becomes relatively louder there. If the sound localizes to the better, unaffected ear, that points to sensorineural loss in the other ear, where inner ear or neural processing is reduced.

The Rinne test compares air conduction to bone conduction. You place the vibrating fork on the mastoid bone (bone conduction) and then move it beside the ear canal (air conduction). If the person can hear the sound again after moving it away from the ear canal, air conduction is better than bone conduction (a positive Rinne), which is typical of normal hearing or sensorineural loss. If bone conduction is heard longer or alone after being moved, this indicates conductive loss on that side.

So, together these tests help distinguish conductive from sensorineural hearing loss, rather than assessing visual acuity, cranial nerve swallow, or vestibular function.