An eye exam is essential to maintaining good eye health and ensuring that your vision is optimal. Here's what you can expect during your eye exam with an optometrist.
Welcome and history-taking
When you arrive for your eye exam, the optometrist will begin by gathering information about your general health, medical history and visual history. You may be asked questions about:
- Your current symptoms (blurred vision, eye fatigue, pain, etc.)
- Your visual habits (screen work, sports activities, etc.)
- Your family history of eye diseases (glaucoma, cataract, AMD, etc.)
Preliminary tests
A number of tests can be carried out to assess different aspects of your vision and eye health, such as:
- Measuring visual acuity: Reading letters on an optical chart to assess your distance and near vision.
- Binocular vision testing: Checking eye movement, sensory, motor and stereoscopic fusion.
- Refraction
- Test to determine the exact prescription needed to correct your vision.
- Eye health
Your optometrist will use a variety of instruments to examine the anterior and posterior segments of your eyes:
- Ophthalmoscopy: Examines the retina, optic nerve and blood vessels for abnormalities such as glaucoma or bleeding.
- Slit lamp: A light microscope used to inspect the cornea, iris and lens for cataracts, corneal scars, foreign bodies, etc.
- Visual field test: Useful for detecting peripheral or central vision disorders, which are possible in certain diseases such as glaucoma.
- Intraocular pressure test: Use of a tonometer to measure the pressure inside the eye. Excessive pressure can cause long-term damage to the eye's nerve fibers.
Discussion of results and recommendations
Once the complete eye examination has been completed, your optometrist will discuss the results with you. If visual correction is required, he or she will suggest glasses or contact lenses. If any eye health problems are detected, he or she may recommend further examinations, specific treatments or referral to ophthalmology.
Advice on preserving your visual health
Finally, your optometrist can give you personalized advice to protect your vision, such as:
- Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from UV rays. UV rays are responsible for a number of eye diseases, such as macular degeneration.
- Reduce your screen exposure time, use optimal reading distances, and take breaks.
- Eat a diet rich in antioxidants and omega-3s, among other things, to reduce dry eye symptoms.
- Schedule regular eye examinations, even in the absence of symptoms, every 2 years for those aged 18 to 65, and annually for those under 18 and 65 and over.
An eye exam is an essential procedure to ensure that your eyes stay healthy. If you're experiencing unusual symptoms, or if it's been more than two years since your last visit, it's time to make an appointment with an optometrist. Taking care of your eyes means taking care of your daily well-being!
