Get the right care based on your individual needs.
Maintaining your eye health is very important, and regular and routine eye examinations are the best way to ensure that your eyes remain healthy. Even if you are not experiencing any abnormal issues with your eyes, routine eye exams are very important because there are many disease processes that can be detected before they are noticed by the patient. We hope that you will look through our website to learn about the different types of eye conditions and diseases.
To keep your eyes healthy and maintain good vision, it is important to have regular routine eye exams. For those with stable vision without any history of eye disease, a routine eye examination every one to two years is important. At this exam your vision will be checked, the pressure of your eyes will be taken, and then your eyes will be dilated so the doctor can see into the back portion of your eye called the retina. This will allow screening for eye diseases or other disorders. If further testing is needed a more comprehensive exam and possible testing will be scheduled.
If you notice any changes in your vision between the regularly scheduled visits with your eye specialist, you should schedule an appointment immediately. It is the early detection and treatment of problems that can be the key to preventing visual loss.
Preparing for Your Eye Exam
When a person calls to make an eye appointment, they should be prepared to describe any current eye issues including visual changes (like blurred vision or flashing lights), how the eye feels (like pain, itching or dryness) and how long the problem has bothered you. In addition, patients should ask if the eye examination will affect their vision temporarily and if they will need someone to drive them home. They may also want to ask about the cost of the exam, if their insurance plan will cover any of the cost, and how the payments are handled.
Patients should also gather and bring with them to the appointment the following information to help answer questions the eye care professional may ask:
- Symptoms of current eye problems (flashes of light, difficulty seeing at night, temporary double vision, loss of vision, etc.).
- Eye surgeries or injuries (approximate dates, treatment locations).
- Family history of eye problems (glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, etc.).
- Any questions about their vision (glasses, contact lenses, laser surgery, etc.)
- A list of all prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs currently being used.
- Their general health condition (chronic health problems, operations, allergies, etc.).
Patients should also take the following items with them to their eye appointment:
- Glasses, contact lenses or both.
- A list of all current Prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs being taken.
- Medical or health insurance card.
Signs that You May Need an Eye Exam:
Children:
- Holding a book too close to their eyes.
- Difficulty reading the blackboard in school.
- Complaints of blurry vision.
- Squinting a lot to see better.
- Closing or covering one eye in order to see better.
If your child is experiencing any of these symptoms, schedule your appointment today at FERST Eye Institute.
Adults:
- Arms are suddenly “not long enough” i.e., need to hold the newspaper or other reading material further away.
- Difficulty adjusting to dark rooms.
- Unusual difficulty focusing on close or distant objects.
- Increased sensitivity to light or glare.
- Changes in the color of the iris.
- Encrusted, reddened or swollen eye lids.
- Recurrent pain in or around the eyes.
- Double vision.
- Dark spots at the center of the vision.
- Wavy or distorted Lines and straight edges.
- “Watery” or excess eye tearing
- Itching, burning or dry eyes.
- Seeing spots or ghost-like images.
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms above schedule an eye exam at FERST Eye Institute.
The following symptoms are indications of serious medical problems that require immediate attention:
- Flashes of light or black spots in the field of vision.
- Curtain-like blotting out of vision.
- Sudden hazy or blurred vision.
- Loss of peripheral (side) vision.
- Sudden loss of vision in one eye.
- Halos or rainbows around lights.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms call our office immediately at 386-492 7718.
Your Routine Eye Exam
Visual acuity tests measure the smallest object each eye can see at a certain distance (usually 20 feet or 6 meters). Each eye will be individually evaluated by covering one eye at a time. It may be necessary to place tape or put a patch over a child’s eye to keep him from peeking. The “Snellen” eye chart is the most common way to test visual acuity. This chart has letters and numbers that decrease in size. When taking this test, the distance between the patient and the chart is 20 feet.
Normal vision is 20/20. If a person has 20/40 vision, this means that they see at twenty feet what a normal eye can see at forty feet. In other words, a normal eye can see these same letters 40 feet away, or this person need to be closer to see what the normal eye can see at that same distance. If a person has 20/200 vision, they are legally blind. They mean that they can only see at twenty feet what a normal eye sees at two hundred feet. If they have 20/15 vision, they see better than normal. They see at twenty feet what the normal eye would have to bring in to fifteen feet to see.
For children that do not know letters and numbers, they can be tested with the Tumbling E chart. To take this test, the child points his/her finger in the same direction as the E is pointing. Children who are younger than four may have trouble with this test so there are several other test that can be used to obtain a child’s accurate visual acuity.