GeneralHow Do Eye Exams Work?

Life can be hectic, so it can be easy to simply push your eye exam off to the side, promising to reschedule it down the road. However, years can easily pass, and, depending on how old you are, your vision can change drastically. It’s recommended that children visit their eye doctors once every year, while adults can extend that period of tffime to once every two years until they begin to notice definite changes in their sight.

For those unfamiliar with eye exams, the process can seem daunting or overwhelming at first. While reputable and understanding professionals, such as those at optiko.ca, are more than willing to take the time and explain the process, it can still be nice to have a bit of background information before entering into a new situation. Therefore, let’s briefly break down how you may expect eye exams to play out.

Case History

To start, your eye doctor, also known as an optometrist, will likely ask you a couple of questions to better understand your eye health and vision. These questions often revolve around your general health, medications, your work environment, and other factors that may have an impact on your sight. As well, you will be asked about your sight and whether you’ve noticed any issues with it lately. By being honest and detailed from the start, your optometrist will have a solid foundation to build off of when moving forward.

External Eye Examination

Your optometrist will also take the time to examine the area around your eye that is visible to the naked eye, ensuring there are no apparent abnormalities.

Internal Eye Examination

Next, your optometrist will examine your eyes with equipment, allowing for a more accurate and in-depth examination. The slit lamp is likely to make an appearance, and is best known to the average person as the instrument that you place your chin on and forehead against. An ophthalmoscope will also likely be used, which will seem like your optometrist is simply shining a light in your eye. Both instruments are used to look for abnormalities in the eye.

Many assume that eye exams are simply for determining how well you see, but eye health plays an incredibly important role in examinations. While seeing clearly is important, knowing that you are free of any underlying conditions or diseases is just as crucial.

Vision Test

This is the part of the examination that focuses on your strength of sight and prescription. While there is no correct order, your optometrist will cover the following three steps:

• Using a phoropter, also known as the instrument with all the lenses, your optometrist will ask you to look ahead at the eye chart. They will then play with the lenses while asking you a series of questions to determine your prescription. The goal is to discover which lenses allow you to see the eye chart most clearly.
• They will also look at your eye movement and how well your eyes coordinate to work together. This can be done by simply asking you to follow their finger or a stick with your eyes, but there are other methods as well.
• Finally, they will determine how well you are able to see peripherally. This, too, is likely just done by asking you whether you can see their finger or a stick moving out of the corner of your eye.

While this quick breakdown does not cover all tests, as your optometrist may choose to include more based on pre-existing concerns or other factors, it hopefully offers you a better understanding of what an eye exam may look like. Ultimately, the process is not long, lasting only 20 to 30 minutes on average, but can ensure you’re living every day to the fullest without visual barriers.

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