An eye exam serves to verify that our eyes are healthy.That is, its role is to rule out that we are suffering from some kind of problem. Among the most frequent, we find: myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and cataracts.But what else should we know about this test?If we have never had an eye exam, we may be nervous or expectant about what might happen.It is quite simple, which does not involve any difficulty.Let’s see, however, what happens during an eye exam.
How an eye exam is performed
We can do an eye exam with an ophthalmologist or an optometrist.Our recommendation is that it should be done with the doctor the first time. Unlike the optometrist, the ophthalmologist will dilate the pupils with a few drops that will show us throwing ourselves in the eyes.This will allow you to see in depth how the eye is.It goes without saying that this procedure is completely painless. The only consequence that we have at the moment when our pupils dilate is that we will see blur for a few hours later.When our pupils return to normal, then we will recover our normal vision.
The eye chart
The eye chart is not more than that series of letters that both the ophthalmologist and the optometrist will send us to read.Placed at a certain distance from us, the letters printed on them range from a larger to a smaller one.We can not get up or get closer to see better.Rather, as we see some letters worse or blurred, the specialist will be putting a series of lensesto see if our vision improves.Some of the problems that are detected with this test are:
- Myopia: It occurs when the result of trying to focus on distant objects, is the blurred vision of these. The more diopters of myopia we have, the worse we see.
- Hyperopia: Objects that are closer are blurred. If we are over forty years old, what we have may be presbyopia.
- Astigmatism: as Maria Teresa Ramos Moreira points out in her study “Asigmatism”, objects are focused on more than one point of the retina. The result is your distorted and blurred vision.
Astigmatism may be accompanied by myopia or hyperopia .People who suffer from these two vision problems see much worse than those who suffer only one.For example, those people who only suffer from myopia.
The slit lamp
The slit lamp is another tool that the ophthalmologist or optometrist uses to see in depth our eye.With this lamp you can see the cornea, the iris, the lens and the inner chamber.If the pupils are dilated to perform this test, after this ocular examination we will notice some sensitivity in the eyesight.The ideal is to use sunglasses afterwards to protect the eyes and be able to see more comfortably.With the slit lamp you can detect some of these problems:
- Dry eye syndrome
- waterfalls
- Corneal injuries
- Detachment and damage to the retina
- Macular degeneration
As we can see, this test is very important to be able to detect eye problems that could not be identified in the previous exam.
Tonometry
This is another of the tests that we can find when performing an eye exam.It is essential to measure eye pressure.High blood pressure may indicate a high risk of glaucoma. The test that is performed is similar to the previous one.We will have to put the chin on a support and fix the view in the point of light that is just in front.The professional will place the tip of the tonometer until it almost touches the cornea. Although the light that is projected on the eye may be annoying, we must keep the eye open as long as possible.Only in this way will the examination show the data that is sought.At least once a year we should undergo an eye examination whether we already have a vision problem or not.The constant contact with mobiles, tablets and other electronic devices such as computers can damage our eyes.Remember that any condition detected on time is always easier to treat.Thus, the sooner we detect the existence of a problem in our eyes, the sooner we can tackle it and correct it.