According to eye care professionals, adults with healthy vision should get their eyes examined every one or two years. Regular comprehensive eye exams are an effective way to detect various eye and vision issues. Most importantly, they can identify problems in their earliest stages.

A comprehensive eye exam can also reveal other health issues, such as hypertension. After all, your eyes can serve as windows to your general health. When was the last time you got a comprehensive eye exam? If it has been a while, you should consider scheduling one as soon as possible. 

According to studies by the WHO, more than one billion people worldwide deal with some form of vision impairment. However, many people tend to eye exams. This is the reason you should know what to expect from a comprehensive eye exam. 

Providing Your Complete Medical History

One of the first things your eye doctor will ask you to provide is your medical history. So before visiting an eye doctor, you should write down the list of medications you take, what time you take them, and their dosages. 

Your eye doctor will also want to know about your family history, especially any eye health issues. This information will help your doctor look for any symptoms related to those issues. You need to provide an accurate and complete medical history, especially when you start seeing a new eye doctor. 

Vision Testing

After studying your medical history, your eye doctor will perform a series of vision tests. These tests will involve the use of different procedures and devices. The purpose of these tests is to determine whether your eyes are functioning properly. 

Color Blindness Test

Your eye doctor will want to determine whether you are color blind. This test appears like a circle of colorful dots. Most of these dots are the same shade or color. However, contained within the circle of dots is an image made up of a different set or arrangement of colorful dots.

If you can identify the image, you can see different colors just fine. Otherwise, you might have some colorblindness issues. 

Visual Acuity Test

This test aims to check how well you can distinguish details of individual letters from different distances. This test will help your eye doctor determine the fraction of your visual acuity. 

If your doctor tells you that you have 20/20 vision, it means that you can see something at 20 feet. This is normal vision. However, if you have 20/40 vision, it means that you can see something from 20 feet away that people with healthy vision can see from 40 feet away.

Eye Alignment Test

This test will help your eye doctor determine how well your eyes work together and their alignment. During this test, known as the cover test, your eye doctor will ask you to cover one of your eyes and focus on a certain point. As you focus, the doctor will move the cover forward and backward between your eyes to determine whether you can continue to fixate on it. 

Other tests you should expect during a comprehensive eye exam include:

• Eye movement test.
• Depth perception test.
• Slit-lamp exam.
• Pupil dilation.
• Glaucoma test.
• Refraction test. 
• Retinoscopy. 
• Prescription test.

To learn more about comprehensive eye exams, visit Inclima Eye Care at our offices in West Haven, Connecticut. You can call (203) 694-0418 today to schedule an appointment.