Eye Exams at Uptown Eye Care
When you come for your appointment, we make sure to schedule ample time so you will never feel rushed. Our office provides complete eye care for both adults and children. During your comprehensive eye health evaluation your eyes will be checked for any potential eye disorders or diseases. Your visual skills and abilities are carefully evaluated and appropriate treatment is prescribed, whether it’s medication, lenses, or vision therapy.
We are prepared to handle your eye care needs with the latest in diagnostic equipment and eye care technology.
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Total Care Exam
Our Total Care Exam has two parts. The doctor does an Ocular Health Evaluation where she will check for signs of any eye disease, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, or vascular disease.
For the other part of the exam the doctor will complete a Vision Assessment to determine the strength of correction you’ll need, if any.
A series of simple, non-intrusive tests will be administered by one of our optometric technicians or by the doctor to gather information that the doctor will use to evaluate both your vision and the health of your eyes.
Some of the very familiar tests include the Visual Acuity test. This is where you read the row of letters on the chart across the room. Variations of this test include using simple images for young children or the rolling “E” where you just point your finger in the same direction the “E” is facing.
Another test is performed using an occluder (the spoon shaped paddle used to block vision in one eye at a time). During this test the patient focuses on an object in the distance while the technician covers and uncovers each eye. This is helpful in determining if the eye muscles are working as they should. At this point the technician will perform another similar test, moving a small object in an “H” pattern as the patient remains focused on it.
Determining Need for Prescription
The next step in your exam involves gathering the information the doctor will use in determining whether or not you would benefit from a prescription to correct your vision. Typically the optometric technician collects this data. First, an instrument is used to take an automatic reading of your prescription. At Uptown Eye Care we use an aberrometer. An aberrometer works by measuring a wavefront as it passes through the eyes. In an eye with no aberrations, the wavefront will be flat, like a piece of paper. In an eye with imperfections, it will be bent and distorted. To have aberrometry performed, the patient will look into the aberrometer and focus on a point of light. The aberrometer will send a low-level laser beam into the eye and measure the reflection, or wavefront. The measurements are taken when the light hits the retina, reflects off the retina and exits the eye.
The technician then enters the readings taken by the aberrometer into a phoropter. The patient looks through the phoropter and again sees a chart of letters and answers a series of questions, including the well-recognized “which is better, one or two?”. The technician will adjust the lenses in the phoropter several times to gather additional information on which prescription will provide the best vision to the patient.
Other Eye Exam Tests
Another instrument used in most eye exams is the retinal camera. This camera is used to take a picture of the retina, located inside the eye. The camera can be focused on the center of the retina by positioning it directly in front of the pupil of each eye. Some people find the bright flash used by the camera slightly uncomfortable, but it is very temporary. The doctor uses the images captured by the retinal camera to exam the health of the blood vessels, optic nerve, macula and tissue inside of the eye.
A slit lamp is a microscope with a light attached that allows the doctor to closely examine the exterior part of the eye. This doctor uses it to view structures of the eye such as the cornea, iris, and lens. However, with special lenses, it is possible to examine the back of the eye as well. A slit lamp allows the practitioner to have an amazing view of the inside of your eyes.
A direct ophthalmoscope is a hand-held instrument used by the doctor to examine the interior structures of the eye, especially the retina. It consists of a mirror that reflects light into the eye and a central hole through which the eye is examined. One of the more unusual looking instruments used by the doctor is called a Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscope (BIO). This instrument is worn on an eye doctor’s head in order to have the use of both hands to examine the eyes.
The doctor will also use a tonometer to measure the pressure of the eye. The test is used to help detect glaucoma. A tonometer measures the production of aqueous humor, the liquid found inside the eye, and the rate at which it drains into the tissue surrounding the cornea. Some patients express concern about having the “air-puff” test performed, but at Uptown Eye Care an ICare tonometer is used. This technology does not require the use of numbing drops or startling and uncomfortable puffs of air.
Occasionally, the doctor will use a retinoscope to shine light into a patient’s eye to observe the reflection off the retina. The light is moved back and forth across the pupil. A retinoscope is especially useful in prescribing corrective lenses for patients who are unable to give oral feedback to the eye doctor. It is also useful for determining how well the eyes work together, or accommodate, to see clearly.
Optional Eye Tests
While not part of our routine Total Eye Care Exam, the doctors do recommend several optional tests in order to have the best possible eye care. One of these tests is an iWellness scan. iWellness images provide a cross-sectional view of the retinal layers with high resolution, as well as a retinal thickness map and a ganglion cell complex map. These images can assist the doctor to detect problems of the central retina and problems of the optic nerve.
Certain medical conditions may require the use of additional tests and instruments. Your doctor will explain why any additional tests are being recommended and describe what you can expect during each procedure.
