Eye Examinations

Examining Your Eyes

We will examine your eyes both internally and externally to assess their health and to look for any underlying problems. Depending on the type of examination you are having, we will do this using different types of high-tech equipment that allow us to scan your eyes and look for different things. Using multiple techniques will give your optometrist an in-depth look into your eye health and let them see if there are any concerns. Technologies that may be used include an OCT Scan and an Optomap Retinal Scan.

OCT Scan

An Optical Coherence Tomography, otherwise known as an OCT scan, is a new imaging technique that provides a high-definition image that shows a cross section of the back of your eye. Being able to view your eyes in this much detail means that we can see what is going on beneath the eye’s surface.

Working in a similar way to ultrasound, an OCT scan is completely painless. It takes 100’s of images and layers them to create a 3D image of your eye, right back to the optic nerve. This provides an incredibly accurate picture of your eye and allows us to check your eye health in more detail.

It can help detect conditions such as:

• Glaucoma
• Detached retina
• Age-related macular degeneration
• Diabetic retinopathy

And more…

Optomap Retinal Scan

The only place where blood vessels can be seen directly, your retina is located at the back of your eye and can help identify conditions not limited to your eyes. It can also allow us to detect other conditions such as stroke, heart disease, diabetes and more. Early signs of conditions such as these can show on your retina before you even notice any other changes to your health.

The Optomap takes a wide-angle scan of your retina, an allows your optometrist to view a 200⁰ area instead of the 30⁰ that a traditional retinal camera can take. This increases the amount of information that we can collect about your eye health and enhances our ability to detect symptoms sooner. The scan causes no discomfort and the results are available within seconds. This examination can be recommended for patients of all ages.

Testing Your Vision

Once we have carried out any necessary scans, we will move on to testing your vision both with and without spectacles or lenses. You optometrist will use their expertise and the information that they gathered at the beginning of your examination to personalise these tests to you. They will assess your distance vision, used for watching TV and driving, as well as your near vision, which is used for reading, using a computer and completing close-up work. Your vision may be tested at other points depending on your lifestyle needs and any other concerns your optometrist may have.

Explaining Your Results

At the end of your exam, you optometrist will take the time to talk you through their findings, ensuring that you have a full understanding of your results and what measures – if any – are recommended to protect your eyesight.

They will also discuss with you any eye care solutions that they think will be best suited for your individual needs. They will make sure that you are fully informed with any information that your may need about the options available to you.

If required, you will then have the opportunity to speak with our Dispensing Optician or Optical Advisor who can help you with spectacles of contact lenses. If these are required, we will need to take measurements to ensure that you frames fit you perfectly. This will allow us to ensure optimal comfort and improve the precision of your spectacle lenses.