Your eye doctor is more than just an eyeglass or contact lenses provider. They can help you detect and manage health issues like glaucoma and macular degeneration.

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Eye exams are an important part of any health checkup, and your eye doctor may use a variety of tests to assess your vision and the overall health of your eyes. Some exams can take up to several hours. Typically, you will be asked to sit in an exam chair, and your eye doctor or one of their office staff will ask you about your medical history and general health. You will also be asked to describe any symptoms you are experiencing or have noticed, such as blurry vision.

Some of the most important parts of a routine eye exam include the visual acuity test and the refraction test. The visual acuity test measures how well you can see at various distances. It’s important for people to get their eye acuity tested at least once every two years.

The refraction test is used to determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses. It’s an objective measurement, based on an optical instrument called a phoropter or autorefractor, which is designed to show different combinations of lens power. By asking you to choose which is clearer, the refraction test can identify the best lens for you.

Another important part of an eye exam is the cover test, which determines how well your eyes work together. For this test, you will focus on a small object that is located at some distance away. Your eye doctor will then cover your left and right eyes alternately while you stare at the target, observing how your eyes move and determining how well they work together.

Other important parts of an eye exam include the pupillary reaction test and the slit lamp examination. The latter involves placing drops of medication into your eyes that cause your pupils to enlarge. This gives your doctor a larger window to look at the inside of your eye, including the retina, optic nerve, blood vessels (choroid), and macula. This part of the exam typically takes 20 to 30 minutes, and your vision will remain blurry for a few hours afterward.

Other tests that your eye doctor might use during an eye exam are the tonometry test, which is used to measure the pressure inside your eyes, and the color vision test, which is used to screen for glaucoma.

Eyeglasses

Eyeglasses are one of the world’s most common tools for correcting vision. The lens inside the glasses refracts light to help your retina see things clearly. During an eye exam, an eye care specialist, usually an ophthalmologist or optometrist, will figure out your prescription for eyeglasses. Then you can find the right pair of frames and lenses to suit your style and budget.

Eyeglass lenses come in a variety of colors and shapes to complement your face. You can even get lenses with special coatings to reduce digital eye strain or protect against the sun’s harmful rays. For example, many people choose blue light reduction to limit their screen time and UV protection to protect against the sun’s rays.

The shape and strength of the eyeglass lenses depend on your prescription, including nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and trouble focusing up close (presbyopia). The strength of the eyeglass lenses is measured in diopters. The prescription can also include other specifications, such as the distance between your pupils and the size of your cornea or pupil (measured in millimeters). You may also need a different lens shape for each eye — for example, spherical, cylindrical or bifocal lenses.

While the most popular type of eyeglasses are spherical lenses, you can also find other types of eyeglass lenses to address your vision needs, such as astigmatism, bifocal and trifocal. In addition, you can choose a frame that will make your lenses look even more fashionable. For instance, you can select a frame with spring-loaded hinges or a memory metal alloy that returns to its original shape.

You can bring your own frames to the eyeglass provider or ask if they’ll let you buy them on your own. If you do, be sure to test them for fit and comfort by placing them on your head and touching them to the nose or ears. If you experience discomfort, talk to the staff about adjusting them. Also, ask the eyeglass provider if they offer a repair service or can fix scuff marks and scratches on your lenses.

Contact Lenses

A contact lens is a thin disc of plastic or glass that sits directly on the surface of your eye. You can get contact lenses for vision correction, therapeutic purposes or cosmetic enhancement. Your doctor will prescribe a particular type of lens for your eyes based on their individual needs and your specific vision problem. Contacts can be soft or hard, and may also be hybrids of different materials. Contacts work by bending light rays to bring them into focus on the retina, where vision receptors gather and send information to the brain for processing. Most contact lenses correct one of two issues: nearsightedness (where the focal point is before the retina) or farsightedness (where the focal point is behind the retina).

Most contact lenses are made from a material that incorporates water. This allows the lens to stay flexible, which helps prevent irritation to the cornea. Soft contact lenses are most commonly prescribed today, but there are some rigid and semi-rigid contacts in use. Rigid and semi-rigid contacts must be carefully fitted by a professional.

All contact lens wearers should have a yearly eye health exam and consultation with their eye doctor to ensure that their prescription is current. If you choose to wear contact lenses, your doctor will advise you on proper hygiene, storage and replacement schedules. It is important to follow these instructions, as failure to do so can lead to serious eye infections.

You should always clean your hands before handling a contact lens. Then, you should open your contact lens case and rinse it with the solution recommended by your doctor. Rinsing the case can help alleviate a ‘gritty’ appearance that may indicate that a large amount of protein, lipids or lint has built up on the lens surface and is irritating your eyes when you touch it. After rinsing the lens, inspect it for signs of damage or other problems.

You should never buy decorative or colored contact lenses over the internet or from a store without a prescription from your eye doctor. These types of lenses can cause serious eye complications, including infection from the microscopic amoeba known as Acanthamoeba keratitis.

Vision Therapy

If your child struggles with learning, sports or work performance due to eye problems, a visit to an optometrist that offers vision therapy may be beneficial. Vision therapy is a personalized program of eye exercises performed in-office and at home, under the supervision of your doctor. It can improve the way the eyes work together, and how your brain processes visual information.

Vision therapy can be used to treat several conditions, including eye teaming problems (e.g. convergence insufficiency), focusing problems, and binocular depth perception difficulties. It can also help with visual form perception and discrimination, strabismus (crossed eyes), and nystagmus (a condition in which the eyes rapidly change focus).

Eye doctors offer vision therapy for both children and adults. Unlike some online eye exercises you may find, these exercises are usually customized for the unique needs of each patient. A comprehensive vision therapy program is best for a child or adult with complex eye issues, and requires a commitment to weekly sessions and daily at-home practice.

During a vision therapy session, your doctor will use various tools—including lenses, prisms, filters and occluders—to help the eye train itself to perform more efficiently. Often, your child will play games and participate in activities designed to strengthen the eye-brain connection.

These games and activities are fun and engaging, but they’re also incredibly effective. Some studies show that vision therapy can help children with dyslexia and other learning disorders. It can also help improve the function of vision for people with autism and other developmental disabilities.

It’s important to note that vision therapy doesn’t treat the underlying cause of the learning disorder or eye issue. However, it can significantly improve a person’s quality of life and their ability to learn, work and play.

Many vision-related symptoms—including blurry vision, headaches and eye strain, difficulty reading or double vision, and bumping into things—are signs that you or your child should be evaluated for vision therapy. Contact your eye doctor if you notice any of these symptoms or signs of an underlying problem, such as a sudden eye turn or loss of 3D vision.