Eye Test
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It is important for us to know what has prompted you to have an eye examination – is it just time for a check-up or have you been experiencing any problems or concerns? If there are any concerns, we will ask you a few questions about these to help us pinpoint what is causing the problems, for example whether it is affecting one eye or both, and when you first noticed the problem.

Information about your general health is also very useful as some eye problems can be linked to systemic conditions. It is equally useful to know what medications you are on as certain types can affect the eyes.

We will ask whether you have had any previous eye problems, for example any injuries or if you have required any treatment for your eyes. We will also ask if any eye conditions, such as glaucoma, run in the family. Certain eye conditions can be hereditary – it does not mean that you will definitely develop the disease but it can put you at an increased risk and often you will be monitored more closely.

It is also useful to know your occupation, whether or not you drive, and whether you have any particular hobbies, to help us work out your individual visual requirements.

We examine both the external and the internal of your eyes to ensure they are completely healthy. We normally use an instrument called a ‘slit lamp’ to do this. We also recommend Digital Retinal Imaging which allows us to examine much more of the retina (the light sensitive layer on the back inner surface of the eyes), and in much more detail than we can otherwise see with our more traditional methods of examination. As well as identifying eye-related problems, general health concerns may also be raised by examining the eyes – systemic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol can cause changes to your eyes.

Additional tests will depend on the individual patient but often include checking the pressure inside the eyes. We test this as an increased pressure inside the eyes can damage the optic nerve, a condition known as glaucoma. Usually the increase in pressure does not cause any symptoms so we often check this routinely. Other tests may include checking visual fields (peripheral vision) or the OCT.

There are a number of other tests available – each individual person will have different requirements in an eye examination depending on symptoms, family history, age or other findings throughout the examination.