How do you keep your eyes healthy and working properly? Do you wear sunglasses, eat nutritious foods, and look away from your computer screen every twenty minutes? Practicing these habits are important, but having your eyes routinely examined by an eye doctor is the best habit you can develop. When visiting your eye doctor, they’ll ensure your eyes are healthy and working to their optimal ability by examining your vision, testing for any eye diseases and answering any questions you may have.
If it’s been a while since your last exam, you may need a quick reminder of what happens during a comprehensive eye exam. The basic steps of a comprehensive eye exam include:
- A discussion about your medical history and vision problems: If you are visiting a new doctor, you may be asked more in depth questions, so it is important to come prepared.
- Pupil dilation: Your doctor uses dilating drops to enlarge your pupils. Pupil dilation allows for the most thorough evaluation of the health of the inside of your eyes.
- Visual acuity test: Your doctor measures how clear your vision is and determines your need for prescription glasses or contacts, or they’ll analyze your current prescription.
- Eye pressure test: Eye drops are administered to numb your eyes, and a tonometer gently touches your eyes to measure intraocular pressure.
- Evaluation of overall eye health: Lights are used to exam the front and inside of your eyes.
- Results: Your doctor will tell you what they found during the eye exam and prescribe any necessary medication, update your prescription for glasses/contacts, answer any remaining questions you might have, and explain preventive measures you can take to protect your eyes.
Visiting your eye doctor routinely is an important step to maximizing your eye health. For other tips on how to keep your eyes healthy, visit our website at www.illinoiseyecenter.com. You can also call us at (309) 243-2400 to schedule your next appointment.