Regular eye health examinations are highly recommended because they are the only way to detect, diagnose, and treat eye problems before they lead to partial or complete loss of vision. You will be checked for vision as well as eye health during a normal eye health examination; besides, the doctor will make sure that you are not suffering from eye disorders such as glaucoma and cataract.
Children vs. Adults
Eye health exams are different for children and adults. Children will be tested for vision, coordination between eyes and hands, the ability to use both eyes simultaneously, the ability of their eyes to move over a page, shift from one object to the other, and so on. The results of the exam will then be explained to the parent or caregiver who is with the child. If required, the doctor who conducted the test might prescribe glasses or contact lenses.
Eye health tests for adults will be more comprehensive and the doctor will check for disorders such as cataracts, glaucoma, and other age-related disorders.
Eye Health Exam Components
Eye health examinations usually comprise the following:
Blood Pressure
Ophthalmologists usually check blood pressure because hypertension can damage the eyes.
Glaucoma Tests
When a doctor conducts a glaucoma test on an individual, he/she tests peripheral vision, examines optic nerves, and checks intraocular pressure using a technique called tonometry.
Dilated Eye Test
The patient’s eyes are dilated and then minutely studied for signs of optic nerve damage, glaucoma, cataract, retinal disorders, and macular degeneration. This test also reveals signs of medical disorders such as diabetes and hypertension, if any.
Direct Ophthalmoscopy
This technique gives doctors a magnified view of the tiniest regions at the back of your eyes, revealing problems in the retinal blood vessels, optic nerve, and macula.
Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscopy
This test helps doctors detect retinal damage, which doesn’t have any symptoms, but can lead to detachment of the retina.
Visual Field Test
The doctor conducting this test creates a map of your visual field or the total area that you can visualize so that signs of glaucoma, brain tumors, strokes, and so on can be detected and treated. Computerized analyzers of visual fields often detect slight loss of peripheral vision, which no other test can detect.
Our Eye Health Exam Services
We have certified eye care specialists at Optometrist who will perform eye tests depending on your requirements. We will test your vision with and without visual aids such as contact lenses and spectacles to ascertain the best varieties of visual tools for you.
We use opthalmoscopy to conduct comprehensive eye health examinations, during which the doctor examines the internal structure of your eyes to detect conditions such as retinal damage, high intraocular pressure, glaucoma, and so on. The exam also includes digital retinal imaging, during which your retina is thoroughly examined for signs of glaucoma, hypertension, diabetes, and other disorders.
We will explain the results to you before chalking out a treatment plan. You are free to ask as many questions as you please.
What is a Comprehensive Eye Exam?
A comprehensive eye exam performed by a Doctor of Optometry is an important part of preventative health care. It can be likened to a physical for the eye because it looks at the entire eye and visual system, as well as prescriptions. Comprehensive eye exams can detect eye diseases and disorders such as glaucoma, cataracts, retinal detachments and macular degeneration, as well as other systemic health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
A comprehensive adult eye examination may include, but is not limited to the following tests (an individual patient’s presenting signs and symptoms, along with the professional judgment of the Optometrist, may significantly influence the testing done):
- A case history including past and present vision and medical issues, as well as a detailed family history.
- An analysis of the patient’s visual needs at home, work, school and play. In some instances, this may necessitate questions about the patient’s school/work environment and recreational activities, in order to accurately determine the patient’s visual demands.
- Measurement of the visual acuity of each eye, individually and together, both with and without corrective lenses at distance and near.
- Diagnosis of the refractive status or prescription (focusing power of the eye) based on a combination of objective (measurements) and subjective (patient responses to questions) techniques.
- Binocular vision assessment (ability to see using both eyes together), as it relates to eye coordination, depth perception, and eye movements, or in some cases, eye-hand coordination.
- Colour vision evaluation.
- Assessment of the health of the eye itself both inside and outside using a biomicroscope, ophthalmoscope and a dilated eye examination when indicated.
- A neurological assessment of the visual system including a review of the pupil reactions, ocular motility, and an assessment of the peripheral vision.
- Screening for glaucoma, including testing pressure inside the eye, looking inside the eye at the retina and optic nerve, as well as performing peripheral vision tests.
- Additional testing may be needed based on the results of the previous tests to confirm or rule out possible problems, to clarify uncertain findings, or to provide a more in depth assessment. These can include, but are not limited to tests such as retinal photography, gonioscopy, corneal pachymetry, optic nerve or macular scans (OCT, GDx, HRT), ultrasound, contrast sensitivity, automated visual field testing.
- All of the test results are used in the final analysis to determine the appropriate prescription lenses to treat refractive and visual problems, to develop a program of eye training exercises, or to recommend medical or surgical treatment.
- Recommendations for future eye care can be made based on the history of eye health and the results of the examination.
- The final analysis of the eye exam includes a Doctor of Optometry’s professional knowledge, experience and judgment.
