What to expect at your annual eye exam:

During a complete eye exam, your eye doctor will not only determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses, but will also check your eyes for common eye diseases, assess how your eyes work together as a team and evaluate your eyes as an indicator of your overall health.

​Your Comprehensive Eye Exam
Here are some tests you will probably experience at your annual eye exam. 

​Pretesting
A series of vision tests are preformed by our skilled optometric technicians prior to you meeting with the eye doctor. These tests provide important diagnostic information.  Other possible tests include visual fields testing and/or  a retinal photography screening test. 

Tonometry (Glaucoma Testing)
Tonometry is the name for a variety of tests that can be performed to determine the pressure inside the eye. Elevated internal eye pressure can cause glaucoma, which is vision loss due to damage to the sensitive optic nerve in the back of the eye.

​Watch as Dr Tanner demonstrates the Icare Tonometer. This test will be preformed by one of our technicians. 

Auto-refraction
An autorefractor evaluates the way an image is focused on the retina, where vision processing takes place, without the need for you to say anything. This makes autorefractors especially useful when examining young children or people who may have difficulty with a regular (“subjective”) refraction. Automated refractions and subjective refractions are often used together during a comprehensive exam to determine your eyeglasses prescription.

Visual Fields Testing
 Additionally, if you are 55 or older, our technician will guide you through a visual fields test. 
The visual field test is a subjective measure of central and peripheral vision, or “side vision,” and is used to diagnose, or monitor glaucoma. The most common visual field test uses a light spot that is repeatedly presented in different areas of your peripheral vision. The test is painless and does not require dilation. Once your pretesting is complete, the technician will lead you to an exam room to await the doctor.   

In the Doctor's Chair

Slit Lamp Exam (Your Health Exam)

The slit lamp is an instrument that the eye doctor uses to examine the health of your eyes. Also called a biomicroscope, the slit lamp gives your doctor a highly magnified view of the structures of the eye, including the lens behind the pupil, in order to thoroughly evaluate them for signs of infection or disease.
The slit lamp is basically an illuminated binocular microscope that’s mounted on a table and includes a chin rest and head band to position the patient’s head properly. With the help of hand-held lenses, your doctor can also use the slit lamp to examine the retina (the light-sensitive inner lining of the back of the eye.)

Refraction

This is the test your doctor uses to determine your exact eyeglasses prescription. During a refraction, the doctor puts the phoropter in front of your eyes and shows you a series of lens choices. He or she will then ask you which of the two lenses in each choice (“1 or 2,” “A or B,” for example) make the letters on the wall chart look clearer.

Based on your answers, your doctor will determine the amount of nearsightedness, farsightedness and/or astigmatism you have, and the eyeglass lenses required to correct these vision problems (which are called refractive errors).

The Phoroptor Photo courtesy of The Eyeglasses Guide

Fundus Exam

The fundus examination is usually the last step in a comprehensive eye examination. If you are age 55 or older, the technician will administer special eye drops to dilate your pupils. This increases the size of your pupil, giving your doctor a larger window in which to inspect your internal eye health. The drops are mild and usually wear off within an hour or two. 

During the funds exam, the doctor checks the health of the vitreous, optic nerve, blood vessels, macula and retina. 

The fundus examination is a crucial part of an eye exam, as many eye diseases can be detected during the test. This section provided by vision.about.com

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