Comprehensive eye exams are vital when it comes to the health of your eyes. But many people do not know what to expect when making an appointment at the eye doctor. This is especially true if you have never had an eye exam before or you have not had one in several years.

 

About Eye Exams

There are a variety of tests that you may have during your comprehensive eye exam. This ranges from simple tests, such as reading an eye chart, to more complicated ones, such as using a high-powered lens to look at the tiny structures in your eyes.
 

The total time of a comprehensive eye exam can be an hour or even longer, depending on the number of tests you must have and your doctor. The health of your eyes will also play a role in determining how long your eye exam will take.

 

Visual Acuity Tests

One of the first things that will happen during your comprehensive eye exam is visual acuity tests. These will measure how sharp your vision is. This usually happens using an eye chart to measure the acuity of your distance vision. A smaller chart that is hand-held is usually used to measure your close-up vision.

 

Color Blindness Test

You may also have a screening test to look for color blindness. This happens early in your comprehensive eye exam. That way, your eye doctor can rule out any color blindness. Color blindness tests can also tell your eye doctor if you have other eye health problems. These could affect your color vision.

 

Cover Test

There are many ways for your eye doctor to determine how well your eyes work with each other. However, the simplest, as well as the most common type, is the cover test. During the cover test, the eye doctor will have you focus on a small item on the other side of the room. Then you will cover each of your eyes while looking at this item. You will then repeat the test while looking at a nearby object.
 

During the tests, the eye doctor will determine if your uncovered eye needs to move to look at the fixed target. If you do, it could indicate an issue such as strabismus. It could also indicate a problem that could cause either eye strain or a lazy eye.

 

Retinoscopy

During a retinoscopy, the lights in the exam room will be dimmed. You will then focus on a large target. As you look at the object, your eye doctor will shine lights in your eyes and move lenses in an eye machine.
 

This test will help determine which powers of lenses will best correct your vision. Based on the way the light will reflect in your eye, your eye doctor can estimate the right eyeglasses to correct your vision. This is a useful test for children.
 

To schedule your comprehensive eye exam, make an appointment at Graham Eye Care in Graham, Texas, today.