Eye Exam
in Washington DC

An eye exam is a series of tests performed by an eye doctor to assess your eyesight and eye health. Understanding the various types of eye examinations might assist you in preparing for your appointment.

What to expect during a comprehensive eye exam

Your eye doctor (also known as an optometrist) will ask you whether you have any specific visual difficulties or symptoms in your eyes when you initially come for your eye exam. Your eye doctor will then go over your history with eyeglasses or contact lenses, as well as your overall health, including any medications you're taking, according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

Depending on your symptoms and the reason for your visit, your optometrist will perform one or more eye tests and a comprehensive examination of your eyes. According to the National Library of Medicine, these examinations may include a visual acuity test, a color blindness test, or a depth perception test, among others.

Schedule an exam

If you have eye or vision problems like pain, double vision, or floaters, the CDC suggests seeing an optometrist. Solv is the simplest and most convenient way to arrange an eye doctor appointment. You may use Solv to identify top-rated eye physicians in your neighborhood and book same-day or next-day eye exams.

Visual acuity tests

A visual acuity test is used to assess how well you can read letters on a chart from a distance of 20 feet. The Snellen chart is a graph that displays letters of various sizes. The visual acuity test is a standard aspect of any eye exam, according to the National Library of Medicine, and it helps your optometrist identify if you have a vision problem or have had a vision change.

Color blindness test

According to the National Library of Medicine, a color blindness test, also known as a color vision exam, evaluates your ability to identify colors from one another. The most typical color blindness test includes using Ishihara plates, which are cards with colored dots that form numbers or symbols. You will be asked to identify the symbols during this test.

Cover test

Color blindness is diagnosed by covering one eye at a time and identifying symbols on cards held 14 inches away from your face. According to the National Library of Medicine, the cover test frequently requires you to judge the strength of a color, such as the brightness of a red hue.

Ocular motility testing (eye movements)

The function of your eye muscles is determined through ocular motility testing. The most popular ocular motility test, according to the National Library of Medicine, asks you to sit or stand and look straight ahead at an item held about 16 inches away from your face. The object will then be moved in many directions by your eye doctor, and you will be asked to follow it with your eyes only, without moving your head.

Stereopsis test (depth perception)

A stereopsis exam, also known as a depth perception test, is used to establish whether or not you can see in three dimensions and how effectively you can judge an object's distance. Most stereopsis tests, according to the University of Iowa and the Ohio Department of Health, require the use of stereo or polarized glasses. Your optometrist will then place a series of cards in front of you to test your ability to see dimensions and gauge distances.

Retinoscopy

According to the University of Michigan, retinoscopy is an eye doctor test that assesses refractive defects such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. To prevent your pupils from shifting size during the test, your doctor may dilate your eyes using eye drops before the procedure. The doctor will then use a retinoscope to beam light into your eyes to assess whether you require eyeglasses to correct refractive problems.

Refraction

According to the National Institutes of Health, refraction is the bending of light rays as they pass through one object and into another (NIH). The cornea and lens refract light rays to focus them on the retina in your eye, according to the article. According to the National Institutes of Health, if the shape of your eye changes, refraction changes as well, resulting in blurred vision, which is a symptom of nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia.

Autorefractors and aberrometers

According to the National Institutes of Health, your eye doctor may employ autorefractors and aberrometers to measure refractive defects. These machines, like a retinoscope, measure light rays passing through your eyes to see if you have nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, or presbyopia.

Slit lamp exam

According to the National Library of Medicine, a slit lamp exam is an eye test that allows you to see the front portions of your eye, including the eyelids, cornea, conjunctiva, sclera, and iris. Your eye doctor will use eye drops to dilate your pupils for this examination. Your eyes will then be examined using a low-powered microscope with a high-intensity light. This retinal exam, according to the National Library of Medicine, can aid your doctor in diagnosing vision disorders such as cataracts, macular degeneration, and retinal detachment.

The glaucoma test

According to the National Library of Medicine, glaucoma is a category of eye disorders that damage the optic nerve. A glaucoma test, also known as tonometry, examines the pressure inside your eyes and can be used to diagnose glaucoma. Tonometry can be used as a pupil dilation test or a visual field test, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Pupil dilation

Your optometrist will normally ask you to stare straight ahead while performing the pupil dilation test, then move a slit lamp toward your eyes until the tip of an instrument called a tonometer just brushes your cornea. Then, according to the National Library of Medicine, your doctor will examine your eye pressure using the slit lamp's lens.

Visual field test

Your optometrist will ask you to rest your chin on a gadget that sends a tiny beam of light into your eyes during the visual field exam. This light will be reflected onto a detector by your cornea. The equipment will then blow a puff of air into your eye to flatten the cornea, allowing your doctor to determine eye pressure, according to the NLM.

Other eye tests

Other eye tests may be used by your optometrist during a full eye exam. These examinations may include a peripheral vision test and a penlight test to measure pupil constriction, according to the National Library of Medicine. More information on the sorts of eye tests performed during your eye exam can be obtained from your eye doctor.