If you’re new to eye exams and feeling nervous, we’re here to get rid of the uncertainty.
No matter who you are or what your background is, a new healthcare appointment has the potential to be nerve-wracking. For a lot of patients, vision care appointments begin in childhood—by adulthood, they’ve grown accustomed to the process. But if you or your child is heading to your first eye exam, even a routine checkup, the prospect can be intimidating.
Knowing what to expect can help ease some of the anxiety. And that’s a big priority of ours—because we believe everyone should take advantage of regular eye exams, even if your eyesight is great. Eye exams can often give doctors important insights into the health of your whole body, and the symptoms of many non-eye-related illnesses can appear first in the eyes.
Fortunately, there’s little to be concerned about in a routine eye exam. The techniques are non-invasive—at worst, you’ll experience just a bit of discomfort. And afterward, you’ll be able to rest easy in the knowledge that you’ve made a healthy choice to take care of yourself. So, in the spirit of making that healthy choice a little easier, here’s what you can expect at your regular eye exam!
How to prepare
You won’t need to bring much to your first eye exam, but there are a few items that might be helpful to consider beforehand. First, your care provider will likely ask about your medical history, so thinking through your own and your family’s ahead of time will help you deliver a more complete answer.
The length of the appointment itself can vary depending on your individual provider’s preferred procedures, and you can always ask ahead of time. It’s a good idea to budget an hour for your appointment, although it probably won’t take that long. If you already have glasses, it’s a good idea to bring them with you. A spot of good news: If you are a Heritage member, you won’t need to bring an ID card with you! Simply give the Heritage provider your identifying information (name, date of birth, and the name of your employer or group).
If you expect your provider to dilate your eyes, bring sunglasses with you, as your eyes will be sensitive to light afterward. Dilation will impact your vision, so it’s wise to have someone along who can drive you home afterward, if needed. Otherwise, you can take some time in the waiting room for the effects of dilation to wear off.
Tests and procedures
There are several types of vision care providers, and they will run different kinds of tests with different types of equipment. For a glossary of provider types, exam terms, and equipment names, take a look at our article on vision insurance terms to know.
Preliminary tests
Your care provider will check how your eyes are functioning with a series of straightforward tests. They may:
- Ask you to follow their finger or a pen with your eyes while keeping your head still. This test checks your eyes’ ability to track movement.
- Cover one eye at a time while asking you to focus on a target, to see how well your eyes work together.
- Shine a light in each eye to observe your eyelids, eyelashes, and the whites of your eyes, and check how your pupil responds to changes in light
- Cover one eye at a time and ask you to read smaller and smaller letters from a chart. This tests how sharp your vision is at a distance.
- Ask you to keep your eyes still while they move a target around to the side of your head, to check the range of your peripheral vision.
- Check your visual field for blind spots. In this test, you will focus on a target while lights appear in other places around it.
- Use color images to check for colorblindness.
Detailed examinations with special equipment
Most likely, your care provider will also want to take some more detailed images and measurements of the less-accessible parts of your eyes. They’ll use more sophisticated equipment and procedures to do so, including:
Non-contact tonometry: Often called the “air puff test,” tonometry checks the pressure of the fluids inside your eye. High intraocular pressure can eventually become glaucoma, so it’s important to check regularly. As the name suggests, the test involves a light puff of air against the surface of your eye—it may be uncomfortable or a little startling, but not painful.
Slit lamp: You’ll place your chin and forehead against a headrest, and your provider will use a bright light that’s focused down to a thin line in order to examine the structures of your eye. Your provider will look at the surface of your eye, the lens, the iris, the fluids inside, and the retina all the way at the back of the eye. The slit lamp helps to illuminate the physical structures, like membranes and blood vessels, so your care provider can check for problems.
Ophthalmoscopy: Your care provider may only check your eyes using the slit lamp, or they may use an ophthalmoscope for a closer examination of your retina. For ophthalmoscopy, your provider may need to dilate your eyes, i.e. cause your pupils to expand, in order to get a clear view of the deepest parts of your eye. They’ll use eye drops to do this, which will wear off after a few hours.
Phoropter/refraction testing: In refraction testing, your provider will ask you to look through a device called a phoropter to determine the right corrective lens prescription for your vision. You’ll look at a target while your provider places lens options in front of your eyes and asks you which is better.
And that’s it—you’re all done.
Eye exams are an essential part of regular healthcare, even if you’re not someone who wears or needs corrective lenses. Heritage members are entitled to regular exams, so check with your benefits administrator to learn more about how to take advantage of them. And to find a trusted Heritage provider, use our provider search and schedule an exam today.