Everything You Need To Know About The Eye Exam
Undergoing an eye exam is necessary to detect some vision problems in their early stages.
An eye exam is used to verify that our eyes are healthy. In other words, its task is to rule out that we are suffering from some kind of problem.
Among the most frequent, we find: myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and cataracts. But what else should we know about this exam?
If we have never had an eye exam we may be nervous or expectant about what may happen. It is something quite simple, which does not involve any difficulty. Let’s see, however, what happens during an eye exam.
How an eye exam is performed
We can have an eye exam with an ophthalmologist or optometrist. Our recommendation is that it be done with the doctor the first time.
Unlike the optometrist, the ophthalmologist will dilate our pupils with a few drops that will tell us to put it in our eyes. This will allow you to see in depth how the eye is. Needless to say, this procedure is completely painless.
The only consequence of the moment when our pupils dilate is that we will see blurry for a few hours afterwards. When our pupils return to normal, then, we will regain our normal vision.
The eye chart
The eye chart is nothing more than that series of letters that both the ophthalmologist and the optometrist will send us to read. Placed at a distance from us, the letters printed on them go from a larger to a smaller size.
We cannot get up or get closer to see better. Rather, as we see some letters worse or blurred, the specialist will put a series of lenses on us to see if our vision improves. Some of the problems that are detected with this test are:
- Myopia : It occurs when the result of trying to focus on distant objects is their blurred vision. The more diopters of myopia we have, the worse we see.
- Farsightedness : Objects that are closer are blurred. If we are over forty, we may have presbyopia.
- Astigmatism : as Maria Teresa Ramos Moreira points out in her study “Asigmatism”, objects are focused on more than one point on the retina. The result is your blurred and distorted vision.
Astigmatism can be accompanied by myopia or hyperopia. People with these two vision problems see much worse than those with only one. For example, those people who only suffer from myopia.
The slit lamp
The slit lamp is another tool that the ophthalmologist or optometrist uses to see our eye in depth. With this lamp the cornea, the iris, the lens and the inner chamber are observed.
If our pupils are dilated to perform this test, after this eye exam we will notice some sensitivity in sight. Ideally, wear sunglasses afterwards to protect your eyes and be able to see more comfortably. Some of these problems can be detected with the slit lamp:
- Dry eye syndrome
- waterfalls
- Corneal injuries
- Detachment and damage to the retina
- Macular degeneration
As we can see, this exam is very important to be able to detect eye problems that could not be identified in the previous exam.
Tonometry
This is another of the tests that we can find when performing an eye exam. It is essential to measure eye pressure. High blood pressure can indicate a high risk of glaucoma.
The test that is performed is similar to the previous one. We will have to put the chin on a support and fix our eyes on the point of light that is just ahead. The professional will place the tip of the tonometer until it almost touches the cornea.
Although the light that is projected in the eye can be annoying, we must keep the eye open as long as possible. Only in this way will the exam yield the data that it seeks to obtain.
At least once a year we should undergo an eye exam whether we already have a vision problem or not. Constant contact with mobiles, tablets and other electronic devices such as computers can damage our eyes. Remember that any condition detected early is always easier to treat.
Thus, the sooner we detect the existence of a problem in our eyes, the sooner we can stop and correct it.
