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Help detect eye conditions -

According to the experts, 50% of sight loss is preventable, and getting your eyes tested regularly can help prevent the damage caused by certain conditions.

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Improve your quality of life -

Another good reason to get your eyes tested regularly is that you may discover you are seeing poorly, and correcting your vision can significantly improve your quality of life.

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Improve your quality of life -

Many people go for years without seeing an eye doctor and they do not realize there is anything wrong with their vision. When they are finally prescribed glasses, things seem to ‘come into focus.’

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Help prevent falls -

As an extension to the previous point, it is worth considering that poor vision can lead to falls, and therefore regular vision testing can prevent falling and causing injury.

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Help prevent falls -

This is particularly important for elderly people, for whom falls can prove very dangerous or even fatal.

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Help diagnose other health issues -

In addition to detecting eye conditions, optometrists may also be able spot signs of other broader health issues when they conduct an eye examination.

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Help diagnose other health issues -

Conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes can affect the eyes in a certain way that doctors can spot, and sometimes an eye exam is the first step in diagnosing the condition.

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Catch problems early -

When it comes to children, eye examinations are vital to ensure that any vision problems, such as squint, lazy eye, and short-sightedness, are spotted early.

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Catch problems early -

As with other eye conditions, these problems that appear during childhood can worsen over time if not spotted early, so regular eye examinations for children are very important.

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What happens at an eye exam -

During an eye exam, your provider will take a close look at your eyes and perform several tests. Some of those tests are to assess your vision.

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What happens at an eye exam -

Other tests are conducted to assess the health of your eyes, check for eye disease, and evaluate your overall health.

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Visual acuity -

The first test in an eye exam is often a visual acuity test, and it is used to determine whether you may need glasses. In this test, your optometrist will ask you to read letters from a chart at a distance.

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Visual acuity -

You will cover one eye at a time, and your doctor may ask you to read the letters through a device with several lenses that could help you see better.

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Automatic refraction -

The test to measure visual acuity is slightly different for children who have trouble communicating. These kids are not asked to read letters from a chart.

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Automatic refraction -

Instead, in a test referred to as automatic refraction, the optometrist shines a light into the child’s eye to measure the eye’s response and determine whether they need glasses.

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Visual field -

Next up is the visual field test. Your doctor will likely hold up their finger (or some other object) and move it from one side of your face to the other. They may also move it up and down, and towards your face.

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Visual field -

The doctor will ask you to follow their finger with your eyes, but not your head. This test tells them about your range of vision.

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Color vision -

Then there is the test for color blindness. This normally involves you being shown a series of images with colored dots.

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Color vision -

Among those colored dots are some numbers hidden in different colors. People with color blindness may not be able to see those numbers.

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Corneal topography -

Time for some more technical vocabulary now with "corneal topography." In this test, your doctor will use a computer to create a sort of map of your cornea.

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Corneal topography -

This test can help identify any curvature in your cornea (astigmatism), and it can be used to help fit contact lenses or prepare for certain eye surgeries.

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Ophthalmoscopy -

In a test called ophthalmoscopy, your provider will use eyedrops to help your pupils dilate. Once fully dilated, they will use an instrument to shine a light into your eye.

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Ophthalmoscopy -

With your pupils fully dilated, they can properly examine your cornea, lens, retina, optic nerve, and surrounding blood vessels.

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Slit-lamp exam -

Next up comes the slit-lamp examination. Your doctor will ask you to rest your chin and forehead on a lamp mounted to a table.

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Slit-lamp exam -

They will then examine your eyes through the slit-lamp, which allows them to see parts of your eye under high magnification.

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Tonometry -

One of the slightly more unpleasant tests in an eye examination is called tonometry. It's used to detect problems with pressure in the eye.

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Tonometry -

Your doctor will apply drops to numb the area and then an instrument called a tonometer to blow a small puff of air on the cornea.

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Fundus photography -

Last but not least there will be imaging tests to evaluate structures in your eye such as the retina and the optic nerve.

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Fundus photography -

The pupil is usually dilated first, and then a special camera is used to obtain thousands of photos in just a few seconds. The images can be used to diagnose various eye conditions.

Sources: (NI Direct) (Cleveland Clinic)

See also: Fascinating facts about your eyes

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