What to Expect During Eye Exams at Moody Eyes
During eye exams at Moody Eyes, we check both tracts of your vision: your prescription AND your ocular health.
Your glasses and contact prescription helps you see clearly and comfortably. Clear comfortable vision is what you need for work and enjoying life. This also helps us determine if you are a candidate for corrective LASIK eye surgery.
An evaluation of the health of your eyes and visual system is also necessary. We look for signs of conditions like macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic eye disease. Importantly, the retina is the only place in your body where blood vessels can be observed without surgery, making your eye exam an important window into your overall health.
This guide will help you understand what to expect during your eye exam at Moody Eyes.
Visual Acuity (VA)
This answers the question, “How well can I see?” It is measured by looking at an eye chart with different size letters. “Normal” vision is 20/20.
You may need glasses or contact lenses to see a letter that size. If you do, then we call that Best Correctable Vision, or BVA.
Some eye conditions, like cataracts, will cause your BVA to decrease. In these cases, we refer you to for further medical eye evaluation.
Examining the Front Structures of Your Eyes
During eye exams at Moody Eyes, we check your eyes with the special microscope called a slit lamp. This lets us see the front parts of your eyes…lids, cornea, lens, and other structures.
Slit lamps are essential for checking for complications from contact lens wear. They also are used to diagnose cataracts, eye infections, and injuries.
Examining the Inside of Your Eyes
The retina is the back tissue of the inside of your eyes. This is where light rays are converted into impulses, which are sent to the brain via the optic nerve.
There are a host of conditions which affect the retina. Among them are diabetes, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.
Checking Your Intraocular Pressure (IOP)
Increased pressure in your eyes can lead to glaucoma by causing damage to your optic nerve. It is a starting point to determine your personal risk. Although glaucoma is more common as we age, it can occur at any age, which is why we screen everyone.
A comprehensive glaucoma evaluation also involves optic nerve evaluation, visual fields, and more. We refer high risk patients for a comprehensive medical evaluation.
Refraction – Determining Your Prescription
A “refraction” is the test where we ask you, “Which is better, 1 or 2?” This, combined with some automated tests, is how we determine your eyeglass and contact lens prescription.
Many people mistake this as “my eye exam”. As you can see in the above steps, comprehensive eye exams at Moody Eyes involve much more than just a refraction.
Other Tests During Your Eye Exam
You can suffer headaches, eyestrain, or blurred vision if your eyes are out of alignment. Sometimes the eyes are constantly misaligned, sometimes occasionally. A comprehensive eye exam includes assessing how your eyes line up.
