New Eye Care Patients
Your first visit with us is mostly conversation and measurement. Before the exam, one of our doctors or a member of the office staff will go through your medical and vision history with you. The exam itself usually takes somewhere between half an hour and a full hour, and it looks at two things: how well you see, and how healthy your eyes are.
What we check during a comprehensive eye exam
Most patients have all or most of the tests below. Depending on what your doctor finds, they may also recommend more specialized testing.
Eye muscle movement test
To check that your eyes are properly aligned, the doctor will ask you to follow a target in different directions and will watch how your eyes move.
Cover test
This checks how well your eyes work together. While you stare at a small target some distance away, the doctor covers and uncovers each eye to see how much your eyes move, watching for an eye that turns away from the target. That turn is called strabismus. The test may be repeated with a target held close to you.
External exam and pupillary reactions
The doctor watches how your pupils react to light and to objects held nearby. At the same time, they check the outside of the eye, things like the condition of the white of the eye and the position of your eyelids.
Visual acuity test
You’ll sit in front of an eye chart with letters that get smaller as you read down each line. Covering one eye at a time, you read aloud down the chart until you can’t make out the letters any more.
Retinoscopy
The doctor may shine a light in your eyes and flip lenses in a machine called a phoropter while you stare at a large target, or use an automated refractor to do the same job. The way light reflects back from your eyes gives an approximate idea of the lens prescription you need.
Refraction testing
This is how we land on your exact prescription. Your doctor may go with the results from the computerized refractor, or fine-tune the prescription by hand, flipping back and forth between lenses and asking which one looks better. If you don’t need corrective lenses, you won’t have this test.
Slit lamp, or biomicroscope
The slit lamp magnifies and lights up the front of your eye. Your doctor uses it to examine the cornea, iris, lens and anterior chamber, where a number of eye diseases and disorders first show up.
Retinal examination, or ophthalmoscopy
Using an ophthalmoscope and dilated pupils, your doctor examines the back of the eye: the retina, the retinal blood vessels, the vitreous and the optic nerve head.
Glaucoma testing
This measures whether the fluid pressure inside your eyes falls within a normal range. It’s painless, takes only a few seconds, and can be done a couple of ways, with a tonometer or with a puff of air.
Pupil dilation
With your pupils fully enlarged, your doctor can examine the inside of your eyes with a range of instruments and lights. The drops take about 20 to 30 minutes to work, and they make your eyes more sensitive to light and blur your vision for several hours or longer.
What to bring with you
Because of the dilation drops, bring a pair of sunglasses for the ride home. You’ll want them. It’s also worth setting aside a full hour so you’re not watching the clock, and bringing your insurance details with you. If you’re not sure whether we take your plan, our vision insurance page lists what we accept.
If you need more specialized testing
Beyond the standard tests above, your doctor may recommend something more specialized. In some cases that testing is done by another eye doctor, such as a retinal or corneal specialist, on a referral basis. We’ll explain why, and where you’re going, before you leave.
Book your first eye exam
We’re taking new patients. Request a time online, or call (843) 796-1155 and we’ll find something that works for you.