Regular eye exam is advisable for all ages. It should not just be for adults. Do you know that there is an increasing number of young people who are already diagnosed to have eye problems? This is the reason why everyone, regardless of age, should consider getting eye exam on a regular basis.
A comprehensive eye exam will only take roughly an hour. This is done by an optometrist or eye doctor. During the eye exam, you will undergo several types of tests that are designed to measure your vision and eye health.
There are many different tests depending on your individual needs, but these are the most common:
Cover Test
When the eyes don’t work together, it causes eye problems such as lazy eye, crossed eye, or lack of depth perception. Lazy eyes is medically termed as amblyopia. It is when the eyes are not lined up. Sometimes one eye is farsighted and the other is not. Other times, one eye is blurry and the other is clear.
Crossed eye, on the other hand, is medically termed as strabismus. This is the condition wherein the eyes can’t look at the same direction at the same time. The cause for strabismus is poor eye muscle control. Another common cause of crossed eye is extreme farsightedness.
Both lazy eye and crossed eye can cause lack of depth perception. Since for both conditions, the eyes are not coordinated, getting depth perception becomes quite a challenge as this requires two functioning eyes.
Cover test is used to determine misalignment and miscoordination of the eyes. The procedure is done by covering one eye first for about 1-2 seconds. While the eye is covered, the other eye is observed if there is any change in the fixation. The same thing is done with the other eye. The optometrist will be able to see if the patient suffers from heterotropia or tropia based on the observation.
Visual Acuity Test
This test measures how sharp and clear your vision is. The optometrist will ask you to read different letters in shifting sizes and distance. Each eye will be tested. One eye will be covered first then you will be asked to read the letters. After which, the cover will be on the other and the test will be repeated.
For this test, the Snellen chart is used. Sometimes a visual card is used. The standard distance for the test is 20 feet or 6 meters away; however, if the optometrist finds it necessary to test your eyes at a distance that is shorter than the usual 6 meters, the optometrist will use a specialized chart.
Eye Movement Test
This is a very easy test that entails looking at and following with your eyes the movement of an object presented by the optometrist. What is tested are the muscles of the eyes. The optometrist wants to see if the muscles are functioning properly.
Color Perception Test
This test measures your ability to identify and distinguish different colors. You will be asked to cover one eye and you will be presented a card with colored dot patterns. Inside the pattern is either a number or a symbol which you will have to identify. The number or symbol is usually hidden and a bit difficult to see. The test will also be performed on the other eye.
There are different eye tests and the ones mentioned here are the most common. Through these exams, the optometrist or eye doctor will be able to diagnose whether you have a vision or eye problem. Get your eyes checked now by your Ottawa optometrist.