Eye Examinations
Eye Tests involve not just testing your vision. We are also looking at the health of your eyes, including how your eyes work together, what will be the most suitable form of vision correction for you and what if any problems may develop in the future.
Below is a guide to what may be covered during your eye examination.
History and Symptoms
The Optometrist will ask you about any current or previous eye problems and how you are getting on with any spectacles that you have. You will also be asked about your general health and any medications you may be taking. We may often discuss any family ocular and health problems to establish any possible hereditary conditions such as Glaucoma.
Examining your eyes in detail
Equipment, such as and Ophthalmoscope or Volk lens, will be used to assess the health of your eyes . This has a bright light and a special viewin
g system to allow the inside of the eye to be seen. A slit lamp may also be used to see the front of the the eye under high magnification.
Checking the Optics of your eyes
This is the part of the eye examination which checks the refractive power of the eye . This is often known as the prescription and is established using a trial frame and lenses to find exactly the right power for you. Usually this is backed up with the “is this better or worse” questions. Many people are afraid that they can get this wrong resulting in the wrong glasses being supplied.This is just not the case.
So please do not worry about getting it wrong – you can’t (honest), just say what you can see and leave it to the optometrist to sort out!!
Other Investigations.
Tonometry: Done with the latest “ICare” Tonometry this is how we measure the pressure of the eyes. Both practices are accredited and are part of the Glaucoma Referral Refinement scheme in Cheshire.
Visual Fields: Measures your peripheral vision on a computerised system which is capable of picking up small changes and is essential in glaucoma screening
Retinal Photography imaging can also be incorporated as part of an eye examination. This takes a digital image of the retina, blood vessels and optic nerve.
