Are You Due For An Eye Exam?
Eye exams are often overlooked but they are part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Eye exams allow your doctor to look for any problems that you may have with your eyes.
If there any problems, this lets them catch issues before they progress.
You should be aiming to have an eye exam every one to two years. You may need to have more depending on your age and other risk factors.
Not sure if you’re due for an eye exam? Keep reading to learn more from the Pinke Eye Center in Shelton, CT!
A Standard Eye Exam
Your standard eye exam is going to take an hour or more, depending on how comprehensive it is. This varies based on your various risk factors such as age and medical history.
There are many different kinds of tests that can be run, but some are more common than others. Before tests begin, you will go over your health and your family’s health history.
You’ll also discuss any current medications that you may be on. It’s important to keep this information as up to date as possible for your eye doctor.
Eye Exam Tests
Visual Acuity
A visual acuity test is one of the most common and basic eye exams that you will encounter. This test involves a “Snellen Chart”.
If you’ve ever seen an eye doctor’s office (real life or on television) then you’ve seen one of these.
The chart is made up of rows of letters that get smaller as you get closer to the bottom of the page. You will sit 20 feet away from the poster and list the letters as you see them.
These are listed one at a time until you can’t focus on the next row. This will help determine your prescription range.
Retinoscopy
This test is a bit more involved than the last, though it is completed for the same reason. A retinoscopy is usually done before the Snellen Chart.
It allows the eye doctor to estimate your prescription before confirming it later on.
First, the room is dimmed so that the instrument the doctor uses is effective. They will shine a light at your eye while you fixate your vision on one point.
Lenses are then flipped back and forth between each eye. From there, your eye doctor will narrow down which lens power is best.
Pupil Dilation
Sometimes the best way to get an idea of what is going on in our eye is to get a firsthand look inside. During a pupil dilation test, special drops force your pupils to open up.
The doctor can then look through your pupils with special instruments. This allows them to check for internal problems.
The effect of the dilation may last several hours. While your eyes are dilated your vision will be blurrier and you will be more sensitive to light.
Schedule a ride ahead of time from the doctor’s office if you are going to get a dilated pupil exam. You will not be able to drive while your eyes are under dilation.
This is only a fraction of all the in-depth tests that might be done during a comprehensive eye exam. Come find out for yourself by scheduling your first eye exam at Dr. Pinke’s office in Shelton, CT!
