Whether you wear glasses or not it is recommended to go for eye test on a regular basis. A lot of jobs demand an eyesight examination as a prerequisite with test range for acceptance of rejection. It doesn’t matter whether you are going for an eye test for the first time you should clearly state every difficulty that you are facing in your eyes. That’s why regular eye test is recommended for healthy eyesight and to detect if there is any other condition which is invisible to the naked eye. An optometrist or an ophthalmic practitioner will conduct your tests which help in determining your prognosis.
After the preliminary queries, the optometrist will carry out a series of eye tests based on all that information you have given. A comprehensive eye test may take up to an hour:
- You have the eye chart test for measuring vision sharpness. You will be shown a chart which has alphabets in the decreasing order of size. First, you read without any glasses or with your old glasses. Depending on the situation, they will experiment with the various combination of lenses to determine near and far off vision.
- Then, you have the retinoscopy where a light is shone at your eyes all the while flipping lenses in a machine. This helps in determining your prescription needs.
- Next, come stereopsis where you are made to look at an image until a shape of a figure emerges out and helps the doctor with analyzing your depth perception.
- Often glaucoma is tested by checking the inner eye pressure by gently blowing air in your eye.
- The slit-eye test and the retinal exam are for the front eye and back eye respectively. Both are painless. The front eye test is to see if you have any infections and is performed by adding eye drop and using a low power microscope and a slit lamp to check your cornea and lens. The retinal exam is performed retinal imaging which digitally scans your eyes and doing away with the whole eye drops to dilate pupils.
How to Get Ready for Your Eye Test:
- Have your vision insurance ready.
- Ocular problems often have to do with genetics. When you are going for your first eye test, you should carry details of your immediate family, as to whether they have spectacles and what sort of eyesight problem is prevalent in your family. You should take all your previous prescriptions with you.
- Make sure you tell them all the problems you are facing whether it is itching or watering or feeling a painful pressure. If you have frequent headaches and how long do you stare at a computer screen. Stress too can cause a vision problem. Be absolutely honest with your doctor, after all, it will be you on the road with your eyes.
- Be aware of the kind of lenses you will require and choose one accordingly. There are corrective surgeries too which will do away with the need to wear glasses so you can consider that too. Get educated about your eye condition and plan accordingly.
- Sometimes, the doctor might need to use eye drops to dilate the pupils, so make sure you are not going alone.
- After going through with the required procedures, the doctor will prescribe what suits you best. You have to clarify all your doubts with your doctor before you set up the next date of appointment and you need to follow your doctor’s orders.
Eye tests are a vital part of your health and lifestyle. Regular eye checkups and follow-ups should be added to your itinerary especially if you are above 50 where a chance of cataract is high. Eye tests also often reveal a lot of health conditions like diabetes, thyroid, amnesia or dementia and even blood pressure. The eyes are the window to the world, and just like we clean and care for the windows, we should do the same for our eyes.