Eye Examinations

Using an extensive range of diagnostic and clinical equipment, our Optometrists complete a very thorough examination of your eye health and vision to offer you the best solutions for your eye care and vision needs.

 

Sometimes additional tests using specialized equipment may be recommended to help detect sight threatening diseases such as glaucoma. On occasion, referral to your Doctor or an Ophthalmologist (Eye Specialist) may also be necessary.

 

What to expect at an eye examination:

 

If you haven’t had an eye test before, you may be a little nervous, but rest assured, this is not a ‘test’ that you either pass or fail.

 

To investigate the health of your eyes and look for diseases such as cataract, glaucoma and macula degeneration and to assess your vision, the Optometrist will perform a variety of tests. These will include some or all of the following:

 

• Discussion of the reason(s) for your visit, your general health and medical history and any relevant family history.

 

• Assessment of your vision with and without lenses.

 

• Ophthalmoscopy, using a special ‘torch’ to examine inside your eye.

 

• Retinoscopy, using a special ‘torch’ to assess your spectacle prescription

 

• Slit lamp examination, an eye microscope and special lenses are used to examine the outside and inside of your eye

 

• Tonometry, measuring the pressure of your eyeball

 

• Colour Vision

 

• Binocular Vision, observing how well the two eyes work together, assessment of lazy eyes and squints.

 

Additional or supplementary tests:

 

• Retinal photography: a special camera is used to photograph general or specific areas inside the back of the eye

 

• Visual Field Screening is used to examine any part of your visual field, including peripheral and central vision

 

• Glaucoma diagnostic screening (GDx), an excellent test for detecting the earliest signs of glaucoma

 

For those over forty and especially for those with a family history of glaucoma, the pressure of the eye will be measured. This test, Tonometry, will often require the use of eye drops. These drops do not affect your vision and wear off quickly.

 

Sometimes the Optometrist will need to enlarge or dilate your pupils to get an expanded view inside your eye. In this case different drops will be used, which may affect your ability to drive or do close work for a few hours. If this is not convenient for you at the time a further appointment can be made. This, of course, will be discussed before any drops are used.

 

An accurate assessment of your vision is made using Retinoscopy and lenses, enabling the Optometrist to provide a prescription for spectacles or contact lenses, where necessary. (For small children and those with special needs this can be achieved using special charts or even without any input from the patient.)

 

At the end of the consultation, the Optometrist will discuss their findings with you concerning the health of your eyes, your eye care, and the most appropriate vision correction for you considering your vision needs and lifestyle.

 

If new frames are required, one of our experienced team will guide you. If preferred, this can be done at a later date and frames can be taken away on approval.