Essex Drivers Warned To Get Eyes Tested

man having an eye test

It’s a fact of life that eyesight slowly fails, but many people do not get their eyes tested. Police warn that driving without good vision could land you in serious trouble if you are involved in an accident. So get your eyes tested!

Getting an eye test is a crucial part of being healthy. But what is the right time to get an eye exam, and what should the exam cover? It is important to get an eye test done at the right time to ensure that your vision lasts for a lifetime. Also, your sight is one of those things that you neglect until the time you face any struggle. It is thus imperative that you get your eyes checked annually. 

At the eye test appointment, you will undergo some basic tests. The optician will recommend not on the type of lens you need but also the best type of glasses or contact lenses, but learning a little about your lifestyle and work. For instance, if you just need glasses for reading, then it works best to have a handy pair of glasses that you can leave by your book or Kindle, but if you need a prescription for driving, it is often best to use single use contact lenses that provide the best field of vision, such as Acuvue Oasys that are designed for single use and come in a handy 30 day packet.

Visual acuity test

This is the test that you have in your mind you will be undergoing when at the eye clinic. Using one eye, you read the letters and numbers from a board positioned at a specific distance from you. The Opticians in Essex notes your responses to check the vision level in each of the eyes. 

Refraction test 

A refraction test determines the eyeglass prescription. You need to gaze into the phoropter to see at the eye chart placed on the opposite wall. Throughout the exam, you see lens pairs in sets. The optometrist asks you which two lenses let you see clearly. And based on your inputs, the optometrist determines the type of eye problem you have. This test even shows you that you don’t need prescription vision correction. 

Retinoscopy 

As you get ready for your eye test work, do you imagine yourself looking in a thick instrument with a lot of dials and lenses? This is the machine called phoropter that the optometrist uses to conduct a retinoscopy. This test allows your doctor to have an approximation of the optimal lens prescription. So when you gaze through a phoropter, the optometrist flips several lenses. You need to focus on some object that is placed in front of you. The optometrist then puts some light in your eyes and checks how your eyes react to light using different lenses. 

Peripheral visual field test 

While we tend to focus on whatever we look at directly, we also see objects on sides of the field of vision. The viewing area is called peripheral vision. Visual field exams help evaluate the peripheral vision. 

Slit-lamp exam 

A slip lamp is a microscope which illuminates and magnifies the front of the eye using an intense line of light. The optometrist uses this to check your lashes, eyelids, iris, lens, cornea and the fluid chamber between iris and cornea. The professional may use some dye, fluorescein to the colour film of tears. This helps in revealing if there are any damaged cells on the front of the eyes. The tears wash away the dye from the surface of the eye very quickly. 

Intraocular pressure measurement 

The intraocular pressure exam measures the pressure or force created by fluid in the eyes. An abnormal level of pressure can be the warning sign for glaucoma. The device that tests your eyes for glaucoma sends a fast puff of air at the open eyes. This puff of air may surprise you at first, and you may end up closing your eyes. The machine measures the eye pressure as per your reaction and the eye’s resistance to pressure from that air puff. 

Colour vision test 

You may have a bad colour vision and may not even realise it. So if you have a problem distinguishing between colours, the eye doctor may check your vision for colour deficiency. For colour blindness test, the doctor will show you various multicoloured dot patterns. In case of no colour deficiency, you will easily pick the shapes and numbers from the dot patterns. But if you have a deficiency, you will see that it is difficult for you to identify some patterns from the dots. 

So, these are the common tests you can expect to undergo during an eye exam. If you wear glasses or lenses, get them to the clinic. Your doctor will ensure that your prescription is right for you. 

Other precautions

In case your eyes are dilated during the eye exam, you may need to bring sunglasses to use after the exam as bright light or sunshine may cause blurred eyesight or uncomfortable vision for some time. You can also consider someone else drives you back home. 

Results

The normal results from an eye test include good peripheral vision, 20/20 vision, normal-looking structures of external eye, ability to see various colours and absence of glaucoma, retinal disorder, cataract or macular degeneration. 

Conclusion

Neglecting your eyes is pretty harmful because it takes so less time actually to go and get checked annually. 

This is how an eye test normally works. Each part of the eye exam offers crucial details about your eyes’ health. Ensure that you get a complete test done as a part of your commitment to overall health. 

 

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