Fuquay-Varina & Garner, Comprehensive Eye Exams
Annual comprehensive eye examinations are necessary for ensuring overall ocular health. Moreover, they help to detect abnormal changes in the eye that can indicate a more serious issue. This is true for those that wear eyeglasses or contact lenses, as well as for individuals that have 20/20 vision. While some changes in vision may be obvious, such as the inability to read the board, many vision problems have no symptoms or signs, and without an annual eye exam they can go unnoticed until they fester into a much worse issue that cannot be reversed. The key to maintaining good vision, and good health, is early detection.
Who Should Get an Annual Eye Exam?
An annual eye exam is no different than a yearly physical or check up with your family doctor. It is something everyone, even children, should do to maintain his or her ocular health. The American Optometric Association recommends that children get their eyes examined at ages 6 months, 3 years, and 5 years, and yearly after that.
What to Expect at an Eye Exam:
During a comprehensive eye exam one of our experienced family eye doctors will examine every aspect of your eyes to determine overall eye health and visual correction needs, if any. The full exam takes about an hour to complete. The comprehensive eye exam includes:
- Documentation of patient and family history
- Preliminary tests of eye function including ability to view colors, pupil response to light, eye movement, depth perception, and peripheral vision
- Examination of Visual Acuity – this measures the ability of each eye to read a series of letters at various distances
- Measurement of the curvature of each eye – this is especially important when it comes to fitting contact lenses
- Ability of eyes to focus, work, and move together
- Measurement of the pressure inside your eyes
- Examination of the retina, or back of the eye, and optic nerve
During the exam our eye doctors look for any abnormal changes that could be indicators of potential eye diseases or conditions. Additional tests may be required based the results of the comprehensive eye exam.
Once the eye exam is complete, your eye doctor will provide a prescription for eyewear if one is required.