Providing eye wear is merely one component in overall vision health. There are many conditions that affect vision and often times the patient’s focus is more on the symptoms, rather than on the condition itself. Our Optometrists in Orleans are trained to diagnose the underlying causes and to ensure a full scope of eye and vision healthcare, to refer patients to other healthcare providers if needed.
An eye exam is more than just an eye chart – it is a complete, comprehensive exam and detailed examination of your visual ability, vision and eye health. This examination is defined in regulation under Ontario’s Health Insurance Act as:
In this step, your optometrist will assess your past and current medical history, and the medical history within your family, in order to determine your risk factors for certain eye health conditions and overall health conditions that may affect your eyes. Your ocular history – incidences of eye conditions, prescriptions, eye wear, work with any other eye doctors, etc – will also be assessed.
As a baseline, your optometrist will examine your visual acuity by means of an eye chart. The placement, sizing and gradations on the eye chart will help your optometrist gauge your current visual acuity (the clearness of your vision).
In order to determine how well your eyes and visual system function in terms of movement, reflexes and tracking, your optometrist will conduct a number of motility tests to determine if there are any underlying problems with your ocular motility that may need remediation, or be symptomatic of other physiological or neurological conditions.
As part of this step, a phoropter or similar device can be used to determine rate of refractive error and determine the standards and measurements needed to inform a prescription for eyeglasses if one is needed. A series of lenses and settings are used to assess refractive error in your vision and define any corrective prescription.
A slit lamp is used to shine a high intensity light into the eye to facilitate an examination of the anterior segment of the human eye – including the conjunctiva, iris, natural crystalline lens and the cornea. The binocular slit-lamp examination provides a stereoscopic magnified view of the eye structures in detail, enabling anatomical diagnoses to be made for a variety of eye conditions.
Ophthalmoscopy is a test that allows your optometrist to see inside the fundus of the eye and other structures (including the retina, optic disc, macula and fovea). This is conducted to help detect symptoms of conditions such as retinal detachment or glaucoma.
Pending your individual needs for care and follow-up, your optometrist will provide advice and/or referrals on a case by case basis. At this time, your optometrist will also advise you on how often to return for an eye exam.
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