Do’s & Don’t After Getting Comprehensive Eye Examination
Taking care of your vision is an essential part of your overall well-being. Proper eye care ensures excellent vision and reduces your risk of eye problems like cataracts and glaucoma. To best take care of your eyes you should regularly see an optometrist near you for comprehensive eye exams, whether or not you have a problem. Remember, prevention is just as important as dealing with known vision issues.
What Is a Comprehensive Eye Exam?
A comprehensive eye exam is a vital part of preventive eye care. The eye doctor examines your eyes as well as your current eye prescription. They can look for eye diseases and disorders such as glaucoma, retinal detachments, macular degeneration, and cataracts.
Even if you don’t have any vision problems, regular eye exams help detect potential eye or vision issues early on and treat them before they cause serious and long-term damage. Eye exams can also help diagnose systemic health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Comprehensive Eye Exam: What to Expect
A comprehensive eye exam comprises several procedures and techniques to assess your eye health and vision. This usually includes the following steps to get the best idea of your overall health:
- Patient history
Most health exams start by reviewing your medical history. The eye doctor will ask you whether you have any existing or previous eye or vision problems. They may also ask about medical conditions like diabetes, current medications, occupation, home conditions, family history, and lifestyle habits.
- Visual acuity
Your eye doctor can perform a visual acuity exam to determine the sharpness or clarity of your vision. They can test your vision from near or far to check whether you have any trouble seeing from those distances. If they find an issue, you may need a refractive assessment to identify the prescription necessary to correct your vision problem.
- Slit-lamp Examination
The doctor will examine the structures of your eyes, like the cornea, lens, eyelashes, eyelids, and sclera, under a bright magnification to review your overall eye health. The doctor may use special drops to dilate your eyes and examine the retina and optic nerves. This exam helps check for potential eye problems like cataracts, corneal ulcers, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration.
- Glaucoma testing
Most comprehensive eye examinations in North York include glaucoma tests. The doctor uses tonometry to test the pressure in your eyes. If your intraocular pressure is high, you may have glaucoma.
- Retinal imaging
The eye doctor takes detailed images of the back of your eyes to look for potential vision issues like retinal detachments, macular degeneration, or diabetic retinopathy.
- Ocular motility or eye movements
This test may check how well your eyes fixate on different targets or follow a moving object. Eye movement problems can cause eye strain and difficulty learning.
- Color vision testing
Most people who have poor color vision don’t even realize it. Your eye doctor can screen your vision for a color deficiency. Sometimes color blindness can be caused by eye problems like glaucoma and optic nerve disease. Other times, people are born color blind and your eye doctor can help to make adjustments and improve your overall quality of life.
Do’s & don’t after getting Comprehensive Eye Examination
Since a comprehensive eye exam can involve dilating your pupils and exposure, exposure to intense lighting, or high eye concentration, your eyes might feel sensitive, and your vision may be blurry. To care for yourself and your eyes, below are key do’s and don’ts to keep in mind after an eye exam:
- Wear dark sunglasses to protect your eyes from extreme light exposure and UV damage. If possible, avoid hanging out in the sun.
- Refrain from driving or operating heavy machinery. While some people can drive home, you can arrange for a friend, family, or cab driver to drive you home, especially at night. Also, avoid using machinery for several hours to prevent injury.
- Avoid digital screens. Blue light from electronic screens can cause eye strain, blurry vision, and discomfort. Limit screen time until you feel better.
- Avoid reading small fonts. Since eye exams can blur your eyes, avoid reading small texts like in a book or phone, as it can cause eye strain, fatigue, and headaches.
- Don’t rub your eyes. While it might be tempting, avoid rubbing your eyes even if they feel itchy. It can cause future irritation and even damage your vision.
- Avoid dusty, dry, and windy environments
- Rest for several hours. Resting your eyes promotes faster recovery. Sleep for at least eight hours and avoid activities requiring great eye concentration.
- Wear your Eyewear. Wearing glasses or contact lenses can improve and protect your vision after an eye exam.
- Avoid drying ingredients like alcohol, tobacco, or coffee. These substances can cause your eyes to feel irritated and dry.
Schedule an Appointment Today.
Are you ready to schedule your next comprehensive eye exam? Contact Yorkdale Eye Care to schedule a consultation with our optometrist in Toronto.