Understanding Eye Exams
If your eyes are giving you a difficult time, maybe because of blurry vision, not being able to see far or near, blindness in one or both eyes, cloudy vision, pain, etc., it is time to see an eye doctor.
When looking for an eye doctor, you might come across the terms optician, optometrist, ophthalmologist and orthoptist. The eye doctor you should see first is an optometrist because he or she is the person skilled enough to diagnose what problem you have. The optometrist cannot, however, carry out eye surgery.
You can also see an ophthalmologist, but you might find that he or she might be more expensive than an optometrist. Visit an optometrist first, then he or she can refer you to either an optician or an ophthalmologist depending on the diagnosis made.
An orthoptist is found in the ophthalmologist's clinic; he or she mainly assists the ophthalmologist during surgery and when conduction tests. Here's what you need to know about the eye exam process:
What to Expect When You Visit an Optometrist
You are usually asked about your problem and questions like when it started, if there are times your vision gets better or pain subsides, how far you can see, your medical history, if you have underlying ailments, etc. Your optometrist then asks you to read a chart located on a particular wall to test what size of letters you can read at a particular distance. This test simply checks whether you might be experiencing short-sightedness or long-sightedness.
Afterwards, you might be required to sit on one side of a machine with your optometrist on the other. You are required to look into a lens on your end, while the optometrist looks through the other. The machine helps the optometrist get a better and more detailed view of your eye. He or she can spot various defects using this machine.
After Examination
After these tests, your optometrist discusses his or her findings with you. You might either require medication that can be in the form of tablets or eye drops, prescription glasses or surgery.
If you need medication, the optometrist can write down a prescription for them. You might still need to visit him or her again to check whether the medication is working. If you require prescription glasses, your optometrist writes down prescription glasses specifications and refers you to an optician. Opticians are responsible for designing, fitting and dispensing prescription lenses, but they have to work from the prescription given by the optometrist. Lastly, if you need surgery, your optician refers you to an ophthalmologist who is more qualified to handle eye problems that require surgery.