Our services:
Not only is your vision important to you - it is
important to us! We always schedule ample time
for your appointments so you will never feel rushed.
Our office provides complete eye care for both
adults and children.
Our comprehensive eye examinations will evaluate
your eyes inside and out for any potential eye
diseases or disorders. Your visual skills and abilities
are carefully evaluated and appropriate treatment
is prescribed, whether it be medication, lenses, or
vision therapy. An educated patient is our favorite
because they know that we never take shortcuts. A
thorough eye examination is what you can expect
every time you are seen in our office! Please see
below to learn about what should be included in
your visit.
We are fully prepared to handle all of your eye care
needs.
Comprehensive Eye Exams
A complete eye examination should include ALL of the following:
Regular eye care should be part of your preventative health care. It is estimated that
more than half of the U.S. population has a vision disorder. Many of these
individuals do not seek routine eye care and remain unaware of their impairment.
Routine eye care is important since many eye diseases such as glaucoma, have no
obvious symptoms until their later stages of development. This is when treatment
becomes more difficult and damage often irreparable.
When seeking eye care, it is helpful to know the aspects that comprise a
comprehensive exam. All parts of the exam are important to determine the visual
functioning and health of your eyes. Described below are the key elements of a
complete eye examination.
Patient History - Information is gathered about any current problems and past
visual and ocular history. A patient's general health, medication usage, and allergy
history is also reviewed. This is done because many health conditions such as
diabetes and high blood pressure can have an effect on your eyes. A patient's family
medical and ocular history is also important to obtain since they reveal risk factors
for developing certain eye conditions.
Visual Acuity - This measures how well a patient can see at distance and near. A
notation of 20/20 indicates normal eye sight. If a patient is measured at 20/100,
this means a person with 20/20 sight could be 100 feet away from an object and see
it with the same clarity as a person with 20/100 could at 20 feet.
Eye Motility - This tests the ability of the eyes to move in all directions. This
provides information about how well the six external eye muscles and the nerves that
control their movement are functioning. An impairment in movement can indicate a
neurological and/or general health problem.
Cover Test - This is a related procedure which assesses how well the eyes stay
aligned when viewing an object. This test is performed by alternately covering each
eye. Eye turns (strabismus) are identified in this manner. This test is critical with
children, since some eye turns can result in lazy (amblyopic) eyes. If left untreated,
this can result in permanent impairment of vision.
Pupillary Responses - During this test the doctor shines a light into your eyes in
a specific pattern to evaluate the pupils' responses. This test provides information
about the neurological pathways conducting visual information from the eye to the
brain where vision is ultimately registered.
Confrontational Visual Fields - This procedure checks the patient's peripheral
vision. Defects in the visual field can be indicative of retinal or neurological problem.
Depth Perception - This visual ability is often evaluated using a test that
measures stereopisis, the highest form of depth perception. In order for stereopsis to
be perceived, exacting eye alignments must be obtained with both eyes working
simultaneously. Errors in eye alignment or the suppression of vision from either eye
will result in a lack of depth seen.
Color Vision - This is performed with children to determine in a color vision
deficiency has been inherited. Males are much more likely than females to have
inherited this condition. The term color blindness is often inaccurately used. Few
patients completely lack any color vision. Most perceive colors differently over a
narrower range in the color spectrum.
Refraction - This test determines the prescription needed to see clearly at
distance and near. It is during this test when the degrees of various vision disorders
such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism, and
presbyopia are determined. At the end of the refraction, other tests are often
conducted to evaluate a patient's focusing ability and other visual skills.
Slit lamp viewing - The doctor will use an instrument called a slit lamp
(biomicroscope) to illuminate and magnify the structures of a patients eyes. Eye
conditions such as cataracts are detected using this method.
Tonometry - This is to measure the pressure within the eyes. Pressure is created
by the balance between the production and drainage of fluid out of the eye.
Abnormally elevated pressure is a risk factor for the development of glaucoma.
Dialation of the pupils - To allow for maximum visibility of the retina and optic
nerve, eye drops should be used to dilate your pupils. The retina is examined for
holes, macular degeneration, and other abnormalities. The retina is the only
structure in the body where working blood vessels can be observed. Abnormalities in
these vessels can indicate the presence of diabetes, high blood pressure, and other
disorders. The optic nerve is examined for signs of glaucoma and other conditions.
