What To Expect at An Eye Examination

Your doctor’s appointment – booked, your dentist appointment – booked. One more thing you should be ticking off your list is a visit to your optician. When taking care of your eye health and vision, making regular visits to the optician is really important. At R. Woodfall we recommend making regular visits every 1-2 years. This appointment could be as simple as a 30-minute examination but could be a very important 30 minutes. For those who have never been before or have not had an eye examination for several years, here is what you can expect from a visit to one our branches.

An eye examination at R. Woodfall

Although it may seem as simple as a quick eye test to check your vision, an eye examination consists of a thorough assessment of your vision and eye health. Detecting any early signs of underlying eye health conditions. These are conditions such as Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration, but an eye examination can also detect general health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure. At R. Woodfall we will go through a step-by-step process to cover all important bases. This includes:

A discussion about your history and any symptoms you are experiencing – To begin your eye examination, a member of our team will discuss your eye health history and any symptoms or concerns you have about your eye health. This will give us a clearer picture of your eye health and anything specific we should be looking out for when completing our scans and tests.

An Eyewear Assessment – For those patients who already wear lenses or frames, our opticians will check these to ensure they are still suitable for your requirements.

Refraction – We will find out whether you need optical lenses to correct your eyesight. Testing both your near vision, your distance vision, and your intermediate vision.

Oculomotor Balance – During this part of your examination, the optician will check that your eye muscles are co-ordinated, and you have comfortable vision at all distances.

Pupil Reflexes – We will check that your pupils react normally to light. Anything unusual during this part of the examination may indicate some neurological problems.

Intraocular Pressure – We will usually only carry out this test if you are aged 40+ or have glaucoma in your family. By assessing the pressure inside your eyes, the optician can detect early sings of glaucoma. Too much pressure can be a sign of this eye condition and if left untreated could lead to blindness. Therefore, discussing your family history is a crucial first step.

Visual Field Test – This will check you all-round vision and your peripheral sight.

Ophthalmoscopy – This is an important test which evaluates the health of your eyes. Detecting conditions such as cataracts, hypertension, macular degeneration etc.

What is an OCT examination?

OCT scans offer the very latest in optical technology. Using a camera, this scan can create a 3D model of your eye and your optic nerve, creating a greater assessment of the health of your eye’s structure. OCT scans are a great way to detect early signs of many eye conditions, and possible underlying health conditions too.  Completing an OCT scan will also allow us to prescribe contact lenses which will fit perfectly to your eyes.

How often should I have an eye examination?

For those aged 40+ regular eye examinations become much more important, particularly as ageing can have a great impact on your vision and overall eye health. Those over 40 are also much more likely to be affected by Glaucoma. Those over 65 will have a higher risk of conditions such as cataracts and macular degermation. Therefore, overtime your eye examinations should become much more frequent, occurring at least every year.

Book an eye examination today

At R. Woodfall we have branches across London, with friendly teams ready to welcome you for your eye examination. Whether this is your first ever or annual appointment, we will guide you through the process. If you are ready to book your eye examination, get in touch with us today and book into one of our branches.

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