Do I Need An Eye Exam?
Are you ready for your next eye exam? Our Santa Rosa and Petaluma locations offer thorough eye exams to ensure your eyes stay healthy. Regular eye exams for children and adults are an important part of annual health checkup routines, so we invite you to contact our offices today to schedule your consultation.
If you’re an adult, a regular eye exam can ensure that your eyeglass prescription stays current and that you don’t have any early signs of disease that should be addressed.
Children should have regular eye exams to ensure their vision is developing normally, their eyes are healthy, and to rule out vision conditions such as myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness), which, if left undetected, can lead some children to fall behind in their school or reading abilities
What To Expect During Your Eye Care Exam
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Comprehensive eye examinations are about much more than simply determining a prescription for eyeglasses. During these exams, our ophthalmologists will look at an array of health factors to rule out the possibility of developing eye conditions, ocular diseases, or other problems. Additionally, other benefits of regular examination include:
making sure both eyes are working in tandem
catching vision degradation early
identifying health problems in other areas of the body that may be symptomatic in the eyes
Come Prepared – If you wear contacts or glasses, bring them with you to your eye appointment. Before your examination, write down a list of any allergies or health conditions you have along with any supplements and medications you use. Also, list any questions you have about your eye health so you won’t forget to ask them while at your appointment. Understand that most insurance policies typically don’t provide coverage for eye care. If you do get a diagnosis, you may be eligible for some coverage.
During Your Visit – Upon your arrival, you will be asked to fill out new patient forms prior to your examination. Next, you’ll be led to an exam room where you will meet the doctor. The type of eye exam you will receive may vary, but there are general guidelines for what you can expect during your appointment. Your doctor will inquire about your general health and if you have a family history of any eye diseases. Next, he will assess your ability to see close and far away. You will be asked to read from a chart of letters. Other facets of your vision may also be tested, like your peripheral vision and color perception.
The Eye Exam – In order to check all the different parts of your eye, your pupils will need to be dilated, which is done by administering special eye drops. Keep in mind that these drops will make your eyes very sensitive for a couple of hours, so be sure to bring sunglasses or have a friend drive you home. Additional tests may also be done depending on your current situation.
Vision screenings are also an essential aspect of regular eye health examinations in children and adults. These determine whether your sight could be improved by glasses or contact lenses. These screenings will likely include your eye doctor asking you to read from a chart. Your doctor will use your results to conduct a further investigation into the overall acuity of your vision.
During your eye exam at Eye Care Institute, our ophthalmologist will ask you to share any concerns you have about your vision, ask about any problems you’ve been experiencing, and discuss any history of eye problems in your own life or that of your family.
The eye exam appointment itself should take somewhere between a half hour and an hour, and it will include a vision test as well as a comprehensive examination. Depending on your health history, this examination may include an eye muscle movement test, an external pupil exam, a cover test, and other tests.
It’s important to note that a comprehensive eye exam can only be performed by an ophthalmologist or an optometrist. General physicians, school healthcare officials, and pediatricians may perform vision screenings in their offices, but may miss the relevant vision problems an ophthalmologist can detect.
Benefits Of An Eye Examination In Santa Rosa And Petaluma CA
To ensure a healthy lifestyle a comprehensive eye exam should be performed once a year. Children should have regular tests to ensure that their vision is normal and potential issues can be detected as early as possible. Older adults are at higher risk for eye conditions such as glaucoma, macular
Even in younger, healthy adults should receive regular eye examinations. Serious medical conditions, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure, can be detected, allowing for earlier treatment.
