This is a great question that I get asked often. For our routine preventative exams, we will examine your vision, your eye pressure, and for contact lens patients, we measure the shape of your eye.
Checking your vision is the starting point of the exam. If your vision is not where we want it to be, we need to look deeper at your current prescription and overall eye health. The eye pressure screens for glaucoma (which affects side vision) and the shape of the eye lets me pick the best contact lenses for your eye and screen for any abnormalities.
Once I do those three things, I will make sure your eyes are working together so there is no double vision or “lazy eye” followed by checking your current glasses and contact lens prescriptions. Based on what I find there, I can make recommendations for changes, updates, new technologies, and optimize what you are currently doing.
The last portion of the examination will focus on the health of your eyes. Among other things, I will check the health of your eyelids and lashes (which can contribute to dry eyes, allergies, and contact lens discomfort). I then make sure your cornea is healthy and without compromise. This is especially important for contact lens patients as any defect can lead to serious complications.
After this, I will examine the back of the eye by checking the lenses for cataract formation and specifically look at the optic nerve, macula, and retina. This is where I check for signs of glaucoma, macular degeneration, and systemic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and even high cholesterol! It may sound like a lot (and this is just the stuff I could fit on this page), but start to finish, the entire exam should be around 30 minutes and we make slight modifications and customizations for every patient’s specific need!