One of the key components of any trip to the optometrist is getting an eye exam. While the vision portion of an eye exam is important, it’s only a small part of what an eye exam includes. Knowing how clearly you see the world is important, but so are things like eye function and overall eye health. A comprehensive eye exam from your Reading optometrist delivers on all these things.
Checking Vision Clarity
Vision clarity, or visual acuity, measures how clearly you see the world. Early in your exam, you'll get a rough idea of your basic vision prescription, possibly from reading an eye chart. This will give your eye doctor an idea of how close your vision is to 20/20. From there, we'll use tools like a retinoscopy and phoropter to measure for possible refractive vision errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism that may need correcting.
Testing for Eye Functioning
Many people don't see vision as a skill, but it is. For most, that skill comes naturally, but some need a bit of assistance in order to ensure that their eyes work together and function to their full potential. Some of the things involved in eye functioning tests include depth perception, color vision, peripheral (side) vision, responsiveness to light, and eye muscle capabilities. If any of these things are not as they should be, there may be treatment options that can build these skills if necessary.
Taking Care of Your Eye Health
There's more to your eyes than just vision. Your eye health is not only linked to your vision, but it also says something about your overall health. Through tests such as a visual field test and pupil dilation many potentially serious eye diseases such as macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy may be discovered in their early stages when they are the most treatable. Some eye exams give important warning signs to conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, which can lead to better care of your overall health as well.
Specialized Exams
Even though a comprehensive eye exam reveals many things about your eye health and vision, some exams are even more involved. Contact lens exams require a thorough measuring of your eyes, and exams to check for your potential compatibility for eye surgeries such as LASIK may also go into a little more depth.
Make Your Next Eye Exam Appointment Today
Whatever type of eye care you need, our optometrist, Dr. Lisa M McDevitt, is prepared to help you fully understand your eye exam and how to move forward in order to have the best vision and eye health possible. To learn more, or to schedule an eye exam contact us at Dr. Lisa M. McDevitt in Reading, PA at (610) 796-1300.