Optometrists - Optometry Videos and Articles – Eye Exams
It's important to see your optometrist once a year to ensure that your eyes are healthy. Did you know that some diseases can be detected during routine eye exams? Health Choices has a wide selection of optometrist listings and optometry videos and articles to help you.
Eye Exams
Optometrists use a variety of instruments during eye exams. These instruments may include the phoropter, the ophthalmoscope, the corneal topographer, and the autorefractor.
During an eye exam, you'll sit behind various machines and look through to an eye chart, with your optometrist guiding you through various tests. To determine your inner eye health, your optometrist may use a number of instruments, such as the ophthalmoscope or the autorefractor. One of the tools your optometrist may use is a slit lamp, which is a high-intensity light that looks at the front part of the eye. The slit lamp can also be used to detect cataracts, which is an eye disease generally related to aging that causes clouding of the lens; left untreated, it can lead to vision loss.
Your optometrist may place drops in your eyes to dilate your pupils. After 15 or 20 minutes, the optometrist will repute the slit lamp exam so the back of your eye can be examined thoroughly. You may experience eye sensitivity for a few hours following the eye exam.
Glaucoma Testing
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that occurs due to a buildup of eye pressure, and it can lead to blindness. Many patients aren't even aware that they have glaucoma: it has no symptoms and it's not painful. It's possible to develop glaucoma at any age, which is why glaucoma testing is extremely important.
During your eye exam, your optometrist will use tonometry (air-puff meter) to measure the intraocular eye pressure (IOP) with a puff of air that hits the eye. The test is not painful, and your optometrist can then determine if your eye pressure is in the normal range.
Other usually age-related eye diseases include wet and dry macular degeneration and cataracts. Systemic diseases can also be detected during a routine eye exam. The back of the eye is the only place where internal blood vessels can be seen without cutting tissue, so an optometrist may be able to detect diseases your GP can't. Eye problems are often a first symptoms of diseases such as atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and hypertension.
Check out Health Choices optometrist listings and optometry videos and articles for more information.