Eye Exam 101: What to Expect from an Eye Exam

Everything You Need to Know

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t give your eye health a second thought until something goes wrong. And by then, it might be too late. An annual eye exam is an important part of maintaining your overall health and wellness, yet many people don’t understand what to expect from eye exams.

The first part of an eye exam is the visual acuity test. This is where the doctor will measure how well you can see at different distances. They will ask you to read a line of letters or numbers on a chart, and then they will determine your prescription based on how well you are able to see the letters or numbers.

Eye Exams

Next, the doctor will check your peripheral vision. This is important because it can help them detect any early signs of glaucoma or other eye diseases. To do this, they will ask you to look at a central point while they move an object around in your field of vision.

After that, the doctor will evaluate your eye muscles and nerves. This part of the exam is important because it can help detect any neurological problems that may be affecting your vision. To do this, the doctor will ask you to follow their finger with your eyes and then test your reflexes by lightly tapping on your eyeball.

Finally, the doctor will check the pressure in your eyes. This is important because high eye pressure can lead to glaucoma. To do this, they will place a special instrument called a tonometer onto your eye and measure the amount of pressure inside.