If you need to check your eyes soon, you may wonder if you should get a routine eye exam or a comprehensive medical exam. The first exam you may want to get is a routine eye exam. A routine eye exam can alert an eye doctor to anything that may require medical intervention right away or in the future. Learn more about the two types of eye exams and which one you may want to do first below.
What Should You Know About Each Exam?
A number of people confuse routine eye exams with comprehensive medical eye exams. Although both types of exams ensure your vision is healthy, routine eye exams are generally less in-depth than comprehensive medical eye exams.
Comprehensive medical eye exams look for problems that could cause permanent damage to your eyes, such as infection, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. The diseases can lead to a full loss of your vision if they go untreated. In most cases, the diseases often develop from something else serious, such as heart disease, diabetes, and other physical health problems.
A routine eye exam checks for things that may potentially hinder or weaken your vision but not completely destroy it, such as nearsightedness and astigmatism. The conditions make it harder for you to see things at close range or at a distance. For example, nearsightedness makes it difficult for you to see objects from afar. You generally need to move closer to an object to see it clearly or to bring it into focus.
Unless you suffer from a medical condition that directly affects your vision, you may want to see an optometrist for a routine eye exam first. If an optometrist does find something wrong with your eyes during the exam, they will schedule you for a comprehensive medical eye exam later.
What's the Next Step for You?
You may expect a number of things to happen during your routine eye exam. An optometrist may begin the exam by asking you important questions about your medical health. As mentioned above, your physical health can affect your vision. If an eye doctor discovers anything about your physical health that could permanently or irreversibly harm your vision, they'll schedule a comprehensive eye exam for you immediately.
If your health is relatively good, an eye doctor will continue on with your routine eye exam. The first thing you might do is read from an eye chart during your exam. The chart contains a series of letters and numbers that range in size, location, and font. You must be able to read and decipher the letters and numbers correctly from different distances.
If you fail to read any of the chart's content correctly, an eye doctor will check your vision errors. Vision errors may require eyeglasses and contact lenses to correct.
Learn more about routine eye exams by contacting a clinic like Elhosn Eye & Aesthetics.
Share4 May 2023
My name is Natalie Hunter. I am 29 and an elementary teacher. I created this website because I recently discovered something and wanted to share it with others. I had been suffering headaches for the past year that seemed to be gradually growing in severity. I had tried over-the-counter medications, homeopathic remedies and even made appointments with my doctor. I was given a CT scan and tried prescription medications. Finally, the doctor asked if I have had my eyes checked, as eye strain and eye issues can also cause headaches. I made an appointment with an optometrist, received a prescription for eyeglasses and suddenly, my headaches went away. It seems easy, but I had no idea. If you have headaches, I hope my website helps you understand what to expect when visiting an optometrist and how it can help with your headaches.