Standard ophthalmic exam

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Visual acuity test

A standard ophthalmic exam is a series of tests done to check your vision and the health of your eyes.

Routine eye examination; Eye exam - standard; Annual eye exam

First, you will be asked if you are having any eye or vision problems. You will be asked to describe these problems, how long you have had them, and any factors that have made them better or worse.

Your history of glasses or contact lenses will also be reviewed. The eye doctor will then ask questions about your overall health, including any medications you take and your family's medical history.

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Next, the doctor will check your vision (visual acuity) using a Snellen chart.

• You will be asked to read random letters that become smaller line by line as your eyes move down the chart. Newer electronic devices have been developed that check vision in a way similar to a Snellen chart.
• To see if you need glasses, the doctor will place several lenses in front of your eye, one at a time, and ask you when the letters on the Snellen chart become easier to see. See also: Refraction test

Other parts of the exam include tests to:

• See if you have proper three-dimensional (3D) vision (stereopsis)
• Check your side (peripheral) vision
• Check the eye muscles by asking you to look in different directions at a penlight or other small object
• Examine the pupils with a penlight to see that they respond (constrict) properly to light

To see inside your eye, the doctor looks through a magnifying glass that has a light on the end (an ophthalmoscope). The device allows the doctor to see the retina and nearby blood vessels, back of the eye (fundus), and optic nerve area.

Often, you'll be given eye drops to open up (dilate) your pupils so that the doctor can view the structures in the back of the eye.

Another magnifying device called a slit lamp is used to:

• See the clear surface of the eye (eyelids, cornea, conjunctiva, sclera, and iris)
• Check for glaucoma using a method called tonometry

Color blindness is tested using multicolored dots that form numbers. See: Color vision test