In general an eye examination every 2 years is accepted as standard practice.When you attend for your eye examination you should bring with you any spectacles you wear, the names of any tablets or medicines you are taking and the name of your doctor. Please ensure that you do not wear your contact lenses on the day of the examination.

The optometrist will need some information about the health of you and your family.

The eye examination should check your eyesight and your eye health and can detect conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic eye disease and high blood pressure.

An eye examination should normally include the following:
• Subjective test
  You will be asked to read letters on a chart.
• External eye examination
  The Optometrist will shine a light on the front of your eyes to check their health and pupil reactions.
• Internal eye examination
  The Optometrist will shine a light into your eyes to check the health of the crystalline lens and retina.
• Eye muscle test
  The Optometrist will check that the muscles, which control your eye movement, are working correctly.
• Do you require Spectacles?
  If you need spectacles to improve your vision, the optometrist will work out the exact prescription you need.

Additional tests may be required and these may include:
• Eye pressure measurement
  A puff of air is blown onto the front of each eye. This measures the intraocular pressure of the eye and helps with the detection of glaucoma.
• Auto refraction
  You will be asked to look directly into an instrument and your approximate eye correction and eye shape will be recorded.
• Retinal photography
  In our practice we have the most up to date digital technology for imaging the retina (back of the eye). If the optometrist considers that this test is necessary we do make an additional charge.
• Slit Lamp examination
  This instrument magnifies and illuminates any abnormalities in the cornea, iris and lens. Digital Image photography enables us to record our findings.
• Auto keratometry
  This instrument analyses the shape of your eyes and can determine if there is any distortion of the cornea.
• Visual field analysis
  You will be shown patterns of lights and asked to say which ones you can see.This test can help to detect glaucoma and other eye and health problems.
• Dilating eye drops
  You may need to have your pupils dilated to allow the Optometrist a better view of the internal structures of the eyes. It takes up to half an hour for the drops to work properly. Some people find the drops make their eyes light sensitive and their sight blurred. You should not drive for a few hours. There is an additional charge for this procedure.

At the completion of your eye test you will be given a written statement indicating your spectacle prescription and whether you require spectacles or contact lenses.