Routine eye exams are painless, quick, and straightforward. Most eye doctors recommend getting an annual eye exam to determine your vision prescription or to ensure it is current. The exam will also help determine whether your eyes are healthy. Routine eye exams help defend against eye problems like glaucoma, cataracts, chronic dry eye, inflammation, and age-related issues.

What Is a Routine Eye Exam?

Your eye doctor at Raleigh Eye Center will examine your eyes and perform several tests during a comprehensive eye exam. Some of these tests will check your eyesight. Others will check for eye disorders. A comprehensive eye exam will also help your eye doctor evaluate your overall health.

How Often Should You Get Eye Exams?

You should undergo an eye exam every one or two years. That will help your eye doctor identify disorders early to determine whether you need prescription eyewear or treatment. People with a higher risk of developing vision problems or eye diseases may require more frequent exams.

What to Expect

Has it been a while since your last eye exam? If so, you might be feeling a bit hesitant. After all, the idea of having someone poking around your eyes does not sound like the most enjoyable experience.

However, it would help to remember that eye exams are safe and painless. Most importantly, they are essential for maintaining healthy vision and eyes. Below is an overview of what happens during these exams to help you feel confident and calm during your next exam.

Pre-exam Tests

When you get to your eye doctor’s office, a technician will perform several tests. These include a peripheral vision test, color sensitivity test, glaucoma test, and an eye teaming test. These tests will help your eye doctor gain a rough understanding of your visual needs.

Visual Acuity

A visual acuity test uses an eye chart to measure the sharpness of your vision. It involves testing both eyes together and then separately, with letters that get smaller as you go down the line until you cannot read them anymore.

Pupillary Reactions

Your eye doctor will use a light to check your pupils’ responsiveness. Their response to light is critical to your vision.

Refractive Assessment

A refractive test assesses how light rays focus on your retina. It will help your eye doctor determine whether you have a refractive error and the prescription you need to achieve perfect eyesight.

Visual Field Test

A visual field test aims to assess your range of vision, including your side vision. Your eye doctor will slowly move an object or finger up, down, and side-to-side in front of your face. You will need to track it with your eyes without moving your head.

Other tests to expect include:

 

• Color vision test
   

• Corneal topography
   

• Slip-lamp test
   

• Fundoscopy
   

• Optical coherence tomography and fundus photography
   

• Tonometry

Conclusion

The doctor will use specialized lights, tools, and equipment during a routine eye exam. Some of these tests may be slightly uncomfortable but do not usually hurt. Regular eye exams will allow your doctor to monitor changes in your vision, spot problems, and help you maintain your eye health.

For more on eye exams, visit Raleigh Eye Center at our Raleigh, Durham, Reidsville, North Carolina, or South Hill, Virginia, offices. Call (919) 899-2472 to schedule an appointment today.