What To Expect During an Eye Exam

It is startling to realize what percentage of the world actually gets regular eye checkups. Often times, third world countries are far more concerned about treating conditions like AIDS, malaria and various forms of cancer to worry too much about eye vision, but for the rest of us, eye exams are a fairly routine part of our lives. In general, adults only need an eye exam once every two years. Children and those with any kind of degenerative eye condition should see an eye doctor at least once a year.

For the most part, eye exams often start with a simple chat between doctor and patient. You will be asked if you have been experiencing any problems with your vision lately or if you have any specific questions about your vision that you wanted to bring up. For most of us, the answers to these questions will be no, and the exam proper will begin at that point. It is important that you have a good rapport with your eye doctor so you feel comfortable bringing up any questions you might have, even if you feel that they are embarrassing or silly in any way.

If you already wear glasses, the doctor will take them and write down your prescription to get an idea of where your vision is at that point. If you don’t, your doctor will go by your chart from your last visit or your doctor will simply start from scratch. The first part of the exam is known as a retinoscopy. This test is completely painless and is used to get an idea of what your vision is at this time. You will be shown an eye chart on the wall and told to stare at the largest letter, usually an E. The doctor will then shine a light into your eye to see how the light shines into your eye and bounces around in it. From this simple and very brief test, the doctor can get an excellent idea of where your vision is at at that moment.

Next, your doctor will have you sit behind the phoropter for a refraction test. The phoropter is that funny looking contraption with all of the lenses in it. The doctor will have you once again look at the eye chart and then flip lenses back and forth. It is your job to tell the doctor which lenses give you clearer vision and which lenses don’t. In general, this process takes about 10 minutes and is also completely painless. When working with kids, many eye doctors will try to make this somewhat boring part of the exam fun for kids.

In some cases, a doctor may choose to use an autorefractor to tell what your prescription should be. This machine has a small spot for you to rest your chin and then a blue light is used to help look at your retina to see how it reads the small amount of light that is shined into it. Studies have shown that these tests aren’t as accurate as other methods, but they can be used in conjunction with other methods to accurately determine the best prescription for you.

A slit-lamp examination can be slightly uncomfortable, but it is painless and a vitally important part of the exam. This test is used to examine the inside of your eye to determine how healthy it is. The doctor will shine a small light directly into your eye and then use a microscope-like device to look into your eyes to see if everything is as it should be. The light can be very bright and almost blinding for the few moments the doctor shines it in your eye, but it is important that you relax your face muscles and do your best to ignore the brightness for the time begin. In general, this part of the exam only lasts a few minutes, but is often considered the least favourite part of the whole exam.

The well known puff test is often done next. This test is done to detect the pressure in your eye. If your pressure is too high, you could have the early stages of glaucoma. This test can also be a bit uncomfortable if you have problems with things coming close to your eye. It is, however, painless and extremely important to tell if your eye is truly healthy or not.

One final test that some doctors do involves using drops to dilate the eyes so that more light can enter them. The doctor will then use a handheld light to look inside your eye to ensure that the structure is holding up. The drops can make you feel a little strange and you will be more sensitive to light during the next hour or so, but the feeling soon goes away.

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