Eye Examinations
At your eye test appointment, you will initially be asked a number of questions covering the following:
Reason for test – Firstly, you will be asked why you are having your eyes examined. It may be due to a routine check-up or you may have a specific reason for the appointment.
- This is the time to inform the optometrist if you feel you have any problems with your eyes. You will need to discuss symptoms.
- General health – You will also be asked about your general health including any medication you are taking and if you suffer from headaches.
- Family history – You will be asked if there is a history of eye problems in your family such as glaucoma.
- Glasses/contact lenses – Inform the optometrist if you wear glasses or contact lenses.
- Other information – You may be asked about your occupation, sports interests etc.
*NHS sight tests are available
The actual eye examination will incorporate the following:
Internal & external exam – To assess your eyes thoroughly and reveal any health conditions, your eyes will be examined both externally and internally. An ophthalmoscope (a type of torch) will be used to examine the inside of your eye. It will be shone through your pupil and will help test pupil reflexes.
Tests – There are a number of tests available and they will be selected depending on your particular circumstances and age. Optometrists usually recommend checking for glaucoma if you are over 40 years old. This is because you may have glaucoma and not realise this until some sight has been lost.
Glasses & contact lenses – The optometrist will check your vision with and without glass lenses to check if there are any problems with your sight. Your distance vision, near vision and intermediate vision will be checked. The type and extent of any problems will be examined by using different lenses to determine which one improves the quality and clarity of your vision, most affectively.
Eye movements and co-ordination – It is important that both your eyes work well together to ensure that some muscles are not over worked.
The Pre-school eye test is a screening test to detect reduced vision and squint.
The tests are based on games such as naming pictures or matching letter shapes of various sizes. The optometrist may use eye drops to relax the muscles inside the eye so that the test can be done accurately for glasses.
The majority of defects found are refractive, i.e. glasses are needed.
Other defects found include squint or abnormalities in the structure of the eye (e.g. cataract). The refraction test is an eye exam that measures a person’s ability to see an object at a specific distance.
In many cases the refractive error is worse in one eye than the other and is thus masked by the “good eye”. This makes it difficult for parents to notice the problem. A squint is a condition where the eyes do not look in the same direction. That is, when one eye looks straight ahead the other eye is pointing inwards, outwards, up or down.
A squint is when the eyes do not look in the same direction. Most occur in young children. A child with a squint may stop using the affected eye to see with. This can lead to visual loss called amblyopia which can become permanent unless treated in childhood. Reduced vision in a child can often be treated if it is discovered early enough. Amblyopia is usually treated by patching the good eye to force the use of the affected eye. Another main aim of treatment is to correct the appearance of the squint. This often requires surgery.
If problems are found through the test, such as glasses are required, a prescription is given to the parent on the day, or children requiring a medical opinion or eye patching for reduced vision are referred to a hospital eye department.
Call us on 020 8866 2620 to book your consultation now.