An eye examination is as crucial as other medical check-ups as the eyes contribute to your overall health. Vision changes occur gradually, and you may hardly notice any change until you realize you can't see as well as before. However, a comprehensive eye exam will catch any change in your vision and other serious eye diseases like cataracts that show no initial signs. Eye care professionals at Century Eye Care Medical in Gardena or Hawthorne, CA, will always tell you eye exams are crucial to preserving your eyesight. Let's look at what eye exams entail.
What Is an Eye Exam?
An eye exam is not just a vision screening. It involves several screenings and tests to assess your vision. The tests examine your vision performance and ocular health. The process is painless and may take 30-60 minutes.
Types of Eye Exams
Your eye doctor will perform different tests during your eye exams, often in one sitting, which may include:
- Visual acuity: It's a helpful eye test that uses the Snellen Eye Chart that assesses whether you require corrective lenses. You will sit away from the chart, and your eye doctor will ask you to read symbols or numbers that become smaller as you progress.
- Refraction test: The optometrist uses this test to determine which patient needs farsighted or nearsighted corrective lenses. They use a computerized testing instrument or retinoscope to read your vision and determine the prescription
- Tonometry: It's a puff of air test used by an optometrist to measure the pressure in your eyes to determine whether you have glaucoma.
- Color perception test: The test checks if you're colorblind by reviewing cards with colored dots. The colored dots make up numbers; when you correctly identify them, your vision is fine.
- Dilation: Dilation is an eye test your eye doctor performs to examine the eye's internal structures. The optometrist can insert special eye drops that enlarge your pupil, allowing him to check your retina and optic nerve.
- Slit lamp: A slit lamp, also called a biomicroscope, is a device that gives your optometrist a magnified view of the inside of your eyes. It helps detect many eye diseases, including macular degeneration, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy.
Benefits of an Eye Exam
Eye exams act as a preventative measure. A comprehensive eye exam will help you with the following:
- Ensure the health of your vision
- Prevents vision loss by detecting eye diseases early
- Help in detecting other health conditions like diabetes
Optometrists in Gardena and Hawthorne, CA
Taking care of your eyes begins with having regular eye exams. A comprehensive eye exam plays a vital role in the overall health of your body. Searching for a professional optometrist in Gardena and Hawthorne, CA? Look no further than Century Eye Care Medical. We offer high-quality eye care services to keep your eye health at its optimal best. Contact us today at (310) 767-7814.