If you need prescription eyewear, it is better to be prepared for the different tests you will have to undergo. Often, the optometrist will not explain why you have to perform certain tasks, and only give you your prescription. Here is a list of the basic tests you have to undergo when you go for your eye exam.
Gathering information
First, doctors will ask you for previous prescriptions. This will help them assess the extent to which your vision has deteriorated. Also, this information is vital for doctors to understand how best to treat you. For example, if one of your eyes has deteriorated substantially since your last prescription, it could be because you have developed a lazy eye. This means that your strong eye, or dominant eye, actively does all the seeing for you.
Your other eye will continue to become worse unless you treat it in the right way. Generally, you will have to wear a patch over the lens for the better eye. This will force your lazy eye to function properly. Numerous other cases of vision impairment could also be solved if you remember to take your prescriptions with you.
Eye muscle movement test
You will have to track the movements of light to help your doctor assess whether your eye muscles are properly functioning.
Pupillary reactions and the external eye exam
You will have to focus your vision on light, or on objects that are near and far, so that the optometrist is able to assess how your pupils react to them. During this test, your doctor also checks whether the areas around your pupils are fine or not.
Cover test
The cover test helps the optometrist measure whether your eyes coordinate with each other or not. While you focus your vision on a certain object with one eye covered, the doctor will check how much each of your eyes moves.
The visual acuity test
The test comprises of a chart with decreasingly sized letters on it. You have to read each of the lines in succession. You will have to perform the test twice, one of each eye. People who are able to read right to the end have 20/20 vision. This is generally the first test you will undergo. Even hesitation while reading could imply that you have a minor vision problem. Eye exams generally take about 20 minutes totally.
