What can you expect during an eye exam?
Patient History
Our technicians will begin the exam by obtaining information about any eye concerns, eye & medical history, and family history. Most patient's don't realize that many medical conditions can affect your eyes in various ways. Also, your family's medical history can help the doctor identify whether you are at higher risk for certain health conditions, or even recommend ways to help lower your risk or screen for them.
Visual Acuity
Visual acuity (VA) is a measure of the ability of the eye to distinguish objects at a given distance. Testing your visual acuity will help the doctor get a better understanding of how each eye is seeing. This is normally done by having our patients read letters on a chart.
Many patients have heard the term "20/20 vision." This term is used to express normal VA at a distance of 20 feet. If you have 20/20 vision, you can see clearly at 20 feet what should normally be seen at that distance. If you have 20/100 vision, it means that you must be as close as 20 feet to see what a person with normal vision can see at 100 feet.
Preliminary Testing
Color Vision: The Ishihara Color Testing plates are used to determine the presence of red-green color deficiencies.
Depth Perception: A test to determine the presence of three-dimensional vision or stereopsis (binocular vision). This helps determine the presence of conditions such as amblyopia (lazy eye) or strabismus (cross-eyes).
Auto keratometry: A computerized diagnostic instrument for measuring the curvature of the cornea, particularly important for fitting a patient into contact lenses.
Eye Muscle Movement: To test muscle strength and control, the doctor will ask you to visually track a target in different directions and observe your eye movements.
Cover Test: This test will determine how well your eyes team together. As you focus at a small target some distance away, the doctor will cover and uncover each eye to observe how much your eyes move, watching for an eye that turns away from the target (strabismus).
Confrontation Visual Field Exam: This preliminary screening allows the doctor to test the patients' peripheral vision by having the patient cover one eye and stare ahead. The doctor will then ask the patient to let the doctor know what they can see along their visual field.
Intraocular Pressure Check (Tonometry)
Tonometry is a diagnostic test that measures your intraocular pressure (IOP). Tonometry can help your doctor determine if you’re at risk for glaucoma or other conditions.
Non-contact tonometer uses a small puff of air to measure IOP. Known as pneumotonometry, the air puff flattens the cornea in a non-invasive way, meaning eyes do not need to be numbed prior to the test.
Soft Touch Tonometer (ICare) uses a small probe to briefly contact the cornea. This barely noticed and is usually preferred to the “puff of air.”
Applanation Tonometer is another technique of accurately measuring IOP. After drops numb the eyes, a small devise is lightly touched to the cornea with a glowing, bright-blue tool to measure the pressure.
Refraction
A refraction determines if a patient has an astigmatism, is nearsighted (Myopia), farsighted (Hyperopia), if they’ve developed Presbyopia, and therefore, if a patient needs glasses.
The doctor will use a device called a phoropter, which will allow them to put different lenses in front of the eyes to determine the appropriate prescription based on input from the patient.
For those that are unable to provide input, retinoscopy also helps establish prescriptions. A streak of light will be directed into the eyes, as the doctor changes the lenses in the phoropter.
Eye Health
Annual checks help maintain the health of the eyes as retinal diseases are the leading cause of blindness. There are many conditions that can be monitored closely by looking at the retina and other parts of the eyes.
A biomicroscope is a microscope, called a slit lamp, which magnifies and lights up the front of your eye. The doctor uses it to detect several eye diseases and disorders by examining each structure of your eye, including the cornea, iris, lens, and anterior chamber.
Ophthalmoscopy uses a head mounted light (binocular indirect) or an ophthalmoscope, the doctor examines the inside structures of your eye, specifically the: retina, retinal blood vessels, vitreous, and optic nerve head. However, to allow for a full assessment of the retina, our doctors strongly recommend Optomap retinal imaging.
common vision conditions
Hyperopia
Hyperopia
Hyperopia
Hyperopia is also referred to as farsightedness. This is when you can see objects far away, but objects up close will appear blurry. Hyperopia can be easily corrected with glasses or contact lenses. Hyperopia normally develops during someone’s childhood years, but can also appear later in life. It normally becomes stable between 20 and 40 years old.
Myopia
Hyperopia
Hyperopia
Myopia is also referred to as nearsightedness. This is when the objects up close appear very clear and objects farther away are blurry. Myopia normally develops during someone’s childhood years. It normally becomes stable between 20 and 40 years old. The blurry vision in myopia patients can be corrected through glasses, contacts, or even corrective surgery.
Presbyopia
Astigmatism
Astigmatism
Presbyopia can affect anyone over time. This occurs when things up close begin to look blurry due to age. This begins to happen in your mid-40’s and continues to get worse until about age 65. Eyeglasses or contacts can always be helpful, some people opt to get surgery done to help as well. An early symptom of this could be needing to hold a phone or book farther away to make the lettering more clear.
Astigmatism
Astigmatism
Astigmatism
Having astigmatism can cause blurred vision at all distances. It is caused by the cornea or the lens in your eye being misshapen. A normal eye has a round ball shape, an eye with an astigmatism has more of a football shape. Due to the misshapen cornea, the eye tends to refract light differently causing the blurriness. Most people with astigmatism complain most about having problems with night driving. This is because the headlights from cars or traffic lights look elongated and blurry causing a lot of glare.