Benefits of Regular Eye Examinations
10 October 2024
Regular eye examinations are essential for maintaining good vision and overall eye health. They help detect early signs of eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration, which may not give you symptoms in their early stages. Early detection allows for timely treatment, preventing further visual loss or complications.
Eye examinations can also uncover other health issues, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, and regular eye examinations can also help correct vision issues by ensuring your prescription for glasses or contact lenses is up to date, improving your quality of life.
Adults over 40 should be particularly diligent as this is typically the age at which our eyes lose the ability to change focus from distance to near with ease.
What to Expect During a Routine Eye Examination
1. Medical and Vision History
Your optometrist will ask about your overall health, any symptoms, medications, family history of eye conditions, and your current vision needs.
2. Visual Acuity Test
This involves reading letters from an eye chart to assess the clarity of your vision. It helps determine if you need glasses or contact lenses.
3. Refraction Test
If your vision needs correction, your optometrist will use lenses of different strengths to find the prescription that gives you the clearest vision.
4. Eye Muscle and Alignment Test
This checks how well your eyes work together and their ability to move in all directions. It can detect issues like strabismus (misalignment of the eyes).
5. Pupil Response and Eye Pressure Test
Your optometrist will check how your pupils respond to light and perform tests to check for glaucoma by measuring the pressure inside your eyes (tonometry).
6. Slit-Lamp Examination
A microscope with a bright light is used to examine the front and inside of your eyes, including the cornea, lens, and retina, for signs of diseases or abnormalities.
7. OCT Retinal Examination
Your Optometrist will use a special instrument called an Optical Coherence Tomographer (OCT) to generate a 3D image of your retina and optic nerve, checking for conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, or retinal tears.
8. Visual Field Examination
Your optometrist will test your peripheral vision using a flashing light test as this can reveal damage to your vision as a result of glaucoma, growths on the pituitary gland or damage to the visual cortex at the back of the head.
9. An in-depth discussion about your lifestyle and visual requirements
Your optometrist needs to understand what regular tasks you undertake both at home and at work. This is imperative as it means you can receive the best advice regarding the type and design of lens most suitable to your requirements.
A routine eye exam usually takes 30-60 minutes and provides a thorough assessment of your eye health, as well as a spectacle prescription designed specifically for your eyes providing the clearest vision you can achieve for all the distances you require.
A styling consultation can then be arranged with our fabulous front of house staff to help you choose not only the best lens choice for what you need but also give invaluable spectacle style advice.
