GeneralWhat Comes With an Eye Exam?

Most people know what to expect during a routine physical with their doctor. On average, people will visit their dentist once or twice a year. This familiarity makes it easy to maintain these health checkups. However, what about your eyes? Do you schedule regular eye exams? Are you anxious about making the appointment? If you do not regularly get your eyes examined, you may not know what to expect. This can make you nervous about the appointment, and it may also prevent you from investing. Therefore, educate yourself right now about what comes with a typical eye exam with an optometrist.

You Will Discuss Your Medical History

The first thing the optometrist will do, when you arrive, is talk with you about your medical history. It is often important for the examiner to fully understand your health and any conditions you have or medications you may take. While some of this information will truly be inconsequential, many things affect your eye health and vision in unexpected ways. Therefore, be sure to answer all the questions thoroughly and accurately. This is the only way to ensure that the examiner has the information needed to continue with the exam properly. You should also be sure to discuss any particular concerns or questions you have about your eyes or vision. If you wear contacts or glasses, bring them with you to the exam for reference.

An Eye Exam Includes an Acuity Test

The first major test the optometrist will complete is the acuity test. This is the one that you probably think about when you consider eye exams. During the visual acuity test, you will measure your vision in each eye. To do this, you will typically cover one eye at a time and look at different letters, arrows or symbols on a chart. This chart will be at some specific distance, and you will be asked to recite various rows. This will help the examiner gauge the state of your vision.

Your Checkup Will Have an Eye Refraction Test

During the eye refraction test, the examiner will start to assess what kind of visual corrections you may need. In other words, the refraction test will determine what prescription you will get for your glasses or contacts. This test may seem a little bit like trial and error. You will look through a machine that has different lenses. The lenses will be switched out, and you will be asked to indicate which one lets you see more clearly. Through this process, your ideal prescription can be finalized. If you do not need glasses, this test may not be very involved or even be needed at all.

Most Eye Exams Will Check for Glaucoma

Another common test you can expect at your eye exam is for glaucoma. Glaucoma is a fairly common eye condition that typically develops with age. If left unchecked, it can seriously impede your ability to see. Therefore, it is best to address the issue before it gets too advanced. To check for glaucoma, a pachymeter is used. This probe is placed right in front of the eye. This allows it to measure the thickness of the cornea. If there is increased thickness, glaucoma can be indicated. In this case, the examiner will conduct other tests to see if your vision range has diminished in other ways.

Other Diagnostic Tests May Be Indicated

The tests listed above are pretty routine and noninvasive. However, you may also get a more advanced screening to look at the health of your eye. To do this, you may get a comprehensive eye exam. During this exam, you can expect more intense screening. You may undergo the slit lamp test, which allows the examiner to see the working parts of your eye from the cornea to the optic nerve. You may also have your pupils dilated to give the examiner a better look at your eye. This type of exam is not necessarily warranted every year, but it is recommended every other year. The frequency of comprehensive testing should naturally increase as you get older.

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