Why do I need an eye examination?

Eye examinations are an important part of a healthy lifestyle. A thorough evaluation of your eyes and visual system begins with determining the best correction for nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia. Testing for poor eye coordination and binocular skills is also important as they can also contribute to poor performance at school and work.

As a part of a comprehensive eye examination, testing for eye diseases should be done on a regular basis. Glaucoma, damage that occurs from elevated pressure within the eyes, is present in over 2 million Americans. Macular degeneration and cataracts are also more common as we get older. General health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure can often be detected by noting changes in the eyes.

A combination of eye drops are often used to dilate the pupils in the eyes. This assists in examining the retina or lining inside the eyes that receives the images that we see. We encourage you to bring someone to drive you home if you have not had your eyes dilated before. We will be happy to schedule the dilating drops for another time that suits you better. We recommend that all children be tested by age three and yearly while in school. Adults should be tested at least every two years.