Comprehensive Exams
Having a comprehensive eye exam each year is the best way to enjoy good vision throughout your life. During your comprehensive eye exam, we will perform several different tests and procedures to check your vision as well as the overall health of your eyes.
What's involved in a comprehensive exam?
A comprehensive eye examination takes about an hour, and consists of the following parts:
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Visual Acuity
A visual acuity test is a measure of how well you see or the sharpness and clarity of your vision. -
Confrontation Visual Fields
A confrontation visual field is a quick check of your basic field of vision, including your central and side (peripheral) vision. -
Extraocular Movements
This test measures the muscles that control eye movement. It is usually a simple test conducted by moving a pen or small object in different directions of gaze. Restrictions, weaknesses or poor tracking of visual objects are often uncovered. -
Pupillary Tests
Pupillary reactions (the way your pupils dilate and constrict in response to light) can reveal a lot about the health of the eyes and of your entire body. The nerves that control the pupil travel through a long pathway within the body. Certain pupillary reactions can reveal neurological problems, including some serious conditions. -
Cover Test
A cover test is performed to measure how well your eyes work together. With one eye covered, you focus one a distant object. We evaluate your eye, once it is uncovered, as it refixates on the target. This test helps to detect a decrease in depth perception, in addition to crossed eyes (strabismus), or a lazy eye (amblyopia). -
Retinoscopy
The term retinoscopy literally means "an exam of the retina." By using retinoscopy, we can determine the presence and degree of myopia, hyperopia, or emmetropia. -
Refraction
Most people remember refraction as the part of an exam in which your asked, "Which lens is better, one or two?" Refraction is a subjective test to measure nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism or presbyopia. -
Slit Lamp Examination
We use an instrument called a biomicroscope, to examine the front (anterior segment) and back (posterior segment) part of your eye. This is to evaluate the overall health of the eye. -
Tonometry
Tonometry is the measurement of the eye's pressure, better known as IOP, or intraocular pressure. If your eye pressure is higher than normal, your at an increaesed risk of developing glaucoma. -
Dilated Fundus Examination
The dilated fundus examination is one of the most crucial steps in a comprehensive eye examination. We administer special eye drops to dilate your pupils. This increases the size of your pupil, giving us a larger window in which to inspect your internal eye health. We visually examine the vitreous, optic nerve, blood vessels, macula and retina.
