Your Complete Guide to What Happens During an Eye Exam

Your Complete Guide to What Happens During an Eye Exam

Feb 01, 2021

Eye exams in Scarborough, ON, are nothing to worry about. They are quick, straightforward, and painless. As simple as this may sound, they are quite important. Most eye issues can be rectified or even reversed if they are caught early. Your eye health contributes to your overall health and well-being; thus, it must be held in high regard.

With that being said, you don’t necessarily have to wait to see our optometrist in Scarborough only when you are experiencing an emergency or your eyes are having problems. Regular eye exams in Scarborough are typically your first line of defense against eye issues such as glaucoma, chronic dry eye, macular degeneration, and other age-related eye issues.

Why Are Eye Exams Performed?

Our optometrist recommends comprehensive eye exams to detect eye problems early and, therefore, make it easier to treat these eye disorders. Also, eye exams give our optometrist the chance to help you adapt to or correct vision changes. At the same time, you will be given professional advice on how you can care for your eyes.

How Frequent Should You Get an Eye Exam?

The frequency with which you get an eye exam is determined by many factors, including your health, age, family history, and the risk of developing eye problems. However, here are some things you need to bear in mind:

  • For children three years and below, our optometrist will be evaluating for prevalent eye conditions such as crossed eyes, lazy eye, or misaligned eyes.
  • For school-age children and teenagers, our optometrist needs to check your child’s eyes before he or she starts school. A comprehensive eye exam is recommended every year for school-age children.
  • For healthy adults, our optometrist will check your eyes every two to three years, if you are in your 20s and 30s. If you are in your 40s and mid-50s, then you can see our optometrist every two years. For people between 55 and 65, you need to schedule a visit every one to two years. If you are above 65 years, it is best to see our optometrist once every year.

However, keep in mind that these are the minimum frequency recommendations for low-risk individuals. If you wear glasses, take medications that cause severe eye side effects, or have a family history of vision issues, you might need to see our optometrist more frequently.

What Are the Different Types of Eye Exams?

Typically, there are different types of eye exams, including:

  • Comprehensive Eye Exam

Our optometrist performs this exam and includes a series of tests that test how well your eyesight is and also checks for eye disorders or diseases. This is typically performed every one or two years.

  • Follow-up or Diagnostic Eye Exam

This test is typically carried out after you have undergone a comprehensive eye exam. It is done whenever our optometrist finds an issue during the comprehensive exam and needs you to come back so that additional tests can be carried out.

Tests Carried Out During a Routine Eye Exam

Typically, you can expect an eye exam in Scarborough, ON, to take roughly 30 minutes to an hour. These are some of the tests that you can expect:

  • Visual Acuity

This is done to measure how sharp your vision is by using an eye chart that is projected on a wall. Your eyes will be tested separately and together.

  • Visual Field

The visual field exam is performed to check for peripheral blind spots. This is tested by what you can see when your eyes are gazing forward.

  • Cover Test

Our optometrist carries out this test to see how your eyes work together. The test is carried out by covering one eye while the other eye is focusing on a distant and near object.

  • Retinoscopy

This is done so that our optometrist can find the glasses or contact lenses that you need. This gives our optometrist an approximate idea of your prescription.

  • Refraction

Our optometrist uses this test to determine the exact eyeglass or contact lens prescription. This is carried out by sitting in front of a phoropter, then you peer through a series of lenses and pick the ones that look clearer. This is where our optometrist can determine whether you have myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism.

  • Glaucoma Test

During this test, our optometrist will check the pressure inside your eyes. If the pressure is high when the intraocular pressure is calculated, then you are at a higher risk of developing glaucoma. Additional testing may be required at a later visit.

  • Dilation Exam

Our optometrist will instill an eye drop which temporarily enlarges your pupils to check for any eye problems at the back of the eye. After the eye drop, you may experience blurry vision during near work and some sensitivity to light.

These are some of the tests you can expect when you come to see our optometrist in Scarborough. Contact our optometrist, at Dr. Allyson Tang Optometrist, to schedule an appointment for a professional eye exam.

Call Now Book Now
Click to listen highlighted text!