New Year, New Goals: Make A Resolution to Get Eye Examination

If you haven’t already made a new year resolution, why not get a comprehensive eye exam to get 2020 off to a healthy start?

How often should I get an eye examination?

You should get an eye examination every one to two years, depending on your age and risk factors.

What to expect from your eye exam

If you haven’t been for an eye examination for a while, you may be wondering what to expect.

Let’s take a look at what the different sorts of eye tests your doctor may carry out as part of your examination.

Colour blindness test

Here you will look at patterns of coloured dots and be asked to pick out a number or shape. This checks for inherited colour blindness and other issues that may be affecting your ability to see colour.

Cover test

The cover test looks at how your eyes work jointly. You will be asked to look at an object at a distance and close-up while each of your eyes is covered in turn. The test can pick up issues such as strabismus (squint) or amblyopia (lazy eye).

Depth perception test

This test looks at how your eyes perceive depth and recognise three dimensions. In this test you will wear 3D glasses and, from various patterns, pick out the image that appears closest to you.

Glaucoma test

The glaucoma test measures pressure levels inside the eyes. A puff of air is directed into your eye, and the eye’s resistance to the air helps calculate its intraocular pressure. High eye pressure can signal glaucoma, which can cause vision loss if left untreated.

Ocular motility test

This test looks at the ability of your eyes to track a moving target and focus between two individual objects. You will need to keep your head still while you trace the target’s movement.

Pupil dilation test

Your doctor may put special drops into your eyes to dilate your pupils. This enables them to look inside your eyes and see how they are working. For a few hours afterwards you may find that your eyes are more light-sensitive and it could be difficult for you to focus on near objects.

Retinoscopy

This looks at how light is reflected from your eyes, and calculates the strength of prescription you need to correct your vision. You will be asked to look at a target in a dimly-lit room. Your eye doctor will direct a light into your eyes and test out a number of different lenses to find what works best for you.

Refraction test

During this test you will be asked to choose which lenses make a text look clearer to you, enabling your eye doctor to give you an accurate prescription for your lenses.

Slit lamp test

The slit lamp is a microscope with two eyepieces that enables examination of the structures inside the eyes. This test can pick up conditions such as cataracts and diabetic retinopathy.

Visual acuity test

This measures the quality of your vision. You will be asked to read from a chart at a distance and close-up.

Visual field test

Here you will look at a target in front of you with one eye covered. You will identify objects to your side while you continue to look ahead. It checks for blind spots, which could indicate conditions such as glaucoma.

A comprehensive eye exam using a number of these tests will take around an hour.

Achieve your eye health goals at the George Street Eye Centre in Sydney

Let the experts at the George Street Eye Centre in Sydney help you achieve your eye health goals this new year. We offer a comprehensive eye health service, including eye exams and tests. Give us a call on (02) 9230 0010 or use our online form to contact us.