Comprehensive Eye Exam

At NeoVision, we take eye health very seriously. In fact, we recommend patients schedule comprehensive eye exams regularly. For those with excellent eye health and good vision, you should expect to see us at least once in your 20s and twice in your 30s. However, for those with eye conditions and less than stellar vision, you really should be seeing us every 2 to 4 years. Not only will this keep your prescription lenses concurrent with your vision needs, but a comprehensive eye exam will help us detect early signs of new or worsening conditions before they happen. During your comprehensive eye exam, Dr. Tandon will assess your:

• Ocular health including your pupil size and reactivity, retina health, and intraocular pressure
• Visual acuity
• Eye tracking and convergence
• Field of vision
• Refraction

We also recommend that anyone experiencing the following come in immediately:

• Decreased vision, even if temporary
• New floaters (black “strings” or specks in the vision)
• Flashes of light
• Curtain or veil blocking vision
• Haloes (colored circles around lights)
• Significant eye injury or eye pain
• Bulging of one or both eyes
• Crossed eyes
• Double vision
• Loss of peripheral vision
• Diabetes mellitus
• Thyroid disease-related eye problems (Graves’ disease)
• Family history of eye disease

Ocular Health

During your comprehensive eye exam, your ophthalmologist will need to carefully examine the health and function of your eyes. Our eyes play a very important role in how we perceive and interact with the world around us. And any abnormalities or complications can seriously impact their ability to function and therefore our ability to see. Furthermore, our eyes can also tell us a lot about our overall health and can help diagnose diabetes, high blood pressure disease and even multiple sclerosis.

Your ophthalmologist will exam your pupils, retina, intraocular pressure, cornea and optic nerves. They will check for potential inflammation, conjunctivitis, dry eye disease, corneal infections, cataracts, glaucoma, etc.

Visual Acuity

During the visual acuity portion of the exam, your eye doctor will test your sight using the all-too-familiar chart of letters in varying sizes. This test helps your doctor compare how well you see in comparison with someone with “normal” vision.

Eye Tracking and Convergence

Your ophthalmologist will also observe how well your eyes work together and independently. Eye tracking tests determine whether your eyes can track an object fluidly and effortlessly. Eye convergence, on the other hand, reveals how well your eyes coordinate and function with one another. Poor tracking or convergence can affect your depth perception and even your perception of color.

Field of Vision

Visual field testing during a comprehensive eye exam detects defects in your field of vision. If you find yourself bumping into things more often than usual or find yourself unable to see your peripheries, this test can help determine the cause and severity. Each eye is tested independent of the other to isolate the cause.

Refraction

During the refraction test portion of your exam, your ophthalmologist or optometrist will assess how light bends as it moves through your cornea and the lens of your eyes. This will help them determine whether you need corrective lenses, and, if so, what prescription. 20/20 is considered optimum or perfect vision. Anything other than 20/20 vision indicates you have a refractive error and will need corrective lenses to compensate.

At NeoVision, we offer refraction tests as both an independent service (vision exam) and as a part of our comprehensive eye exam.

Eye Exam Frequently Asked Questions

I can see clearly. Why do I need an eye exam?

Everyone needs a comprehensive eye exam at one point or another during their life, not just people with glasses or contacts. An eye exam not only assesses the overall health of your eyes, but can also detect conditions like cataracts, diabetes, hypertension, retinal detachments and more before they become a problem.

At what age should children get an eye exam?

Parents should have their children’s eyes checked at three important stages during their early development:

• 6 months old: A pediatric ophthalmologist makes sure that the eyes are working well together and there aren’t any rarely occurring but significant defects, such as cataracts and tumors that could threaten the child’s vision.
• 2-3 years old: A pediatric/general ophthalmologist at this time checks for any signs of developmental disorders, including lazy eye, crossed eyes (strabismus), nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. If a problem is found, effective therapy can usually begin immediately.
• 5-6 years old: An eye doctor tests for sharpness of vision and corrects deficiencies by prescribing eyeglasses. A child’s eyes finish developing by the age of 8-9 years.

Early detection of eye problems can sometimes prevent significant damage to the eye or their vision. If any member of your family has eye problems, then it is important to have your child’s eyes tested at an early age.

How often should I get an eye exam?

For those with excellent eye health and good vision, you should expect to see us at least once in your 20s and twice in your 30s. However, for those with eye conditions or less than stellar vision, you really should be seeing us every 2 to 4 years.

I’m diabetic. Do I need regular eye exams?

Yes. Diabetes can cause severe problems with your sight. It is very important that your eyes are checked every year, preferably with drops to dilate the pupil, so that the retina (back of the eye) can be examined thoroughly.

What is a refractive error? How do I know if I have one?

A refractive error is a type of vision problem that makes it hard to see clearly. Specifically, it means the shape of your eye keeps light from focusing correctly on your retina which causes distortions in your vision. Refractive errors include nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatisms. Only a licensed eye care professional can accurately diagnose a refractive error during a vision exam or comprehensive eye exam.

What does “20/20” vision mean?

20/20 is one of many measurements of sight and refers to optimum or “perfect” vision. Specifically, it means that someone with 20/20 vision can see writing at 3/8 in (9.525 mm) font size at 20 ft away. So, someone with 20/40 vision can only be 20 ft away from an object to see what a person with 20/20 vision can see at 40 ft away. And similarly, someone with 20/400 vision can only be 20 ft away from an object to see what a person with 20/20 vision can see at 400 ft.

Most states require 20/40 or better in at least one eye to get a driver’s license without glasses or contact lens restriction.