Your Exam

An eye exam consists of more than just checking to see if you need glasses. During a complete eye exam, we not only determine your prescription for glasses or contact lenses, but we also assess your eyes’ ability to work together as a team (binocular vision), check for common eye diseases, and evaluate your overall health. Adults should have regular eye exams to keep prescriptions current and to check for early signs of eye diseases, which when caught early, may prevent vision loss. Below is a list of a few eye diseases and conditions that we look for during a complete eye exam:

Refractive error - This is your prescription. There are 4 types of refractive error, myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), presbyopia (difficulty reading small print) and astigmatism (there is no one point of focus unless corrected). Refractive errors are corrected with glasses or contact lenses

Amblyopia - Amblyopia is caused by your brain’s reaction to a turned eye or the eye that has a much greater prescription than the other. The brain ignores images from the turned or blurry eye. If untreated, amblyopia can slow visual development of the affected eye, which can lead to permanent vision loss.

Strabismus - Strabismus is an eye that turns inwards or outwards relative to the other eye. If left untreated, a strabismus can lead to amblyopia, and decrease depth perception.

Glaucoma - Glaucoma is the degeneration of the optic nerve (a cord that connects the eye to the brain) that is sometimes associated with high eye pressures. During a comprehensive eye exam, we measure your eye pressures and look at the optic nerve to determine whether or not you have glaucoma. In its early stages, there are no symptoms. Therefore it is important to have regular eye exams to prevent permanent vision loss.

Macular degeneration - Macular Degeneration is a disease that affects your central vision that is needed to read and drive. In advanced cases, it can lead to serious vision loss.

Other diseases - we can detect early signs of some systemic diseases by looking at your eyes. Having regular eye exams can prevent vision loss associated with some diseases with treatment.

During your complete eye exam, you may be dilated to allow us to properly assess the health of your eyes. If you feel unsafe driving after being dilated, please arrange for someone to drive you home from our office.

Schedule a comprehensive eye exam with Dr Shields today.!