What to expect during an eye examination
As an independent practice we firmly believe in giving you a little bit extra, we concern ourselves with the eye health of everybody. We want to enhance your experience as a patient by ensuring that you are properly informed about any procedures or treatments you may encounter during your visit.
We book 30 minute eye test appointments for all adult examinations. When you visit us you can be reassured that our optometrist will conduct a through professional and unhurried examination.
At the Blackheath Eyecare Centre we have an extensive range of tests and equipment to examine your eyes and vision. Our Optometrist will customise the tests to your individual needs.
1. Your symptoms and history
We will ask you about any problems you may have experienced with your eyes and we’ll ask you about you and your family’s ocular health history. We would also like to have some background information about your general health, your lifestyle and what your hobbies and interests are. This will give us a clear picture of what your eyes are going through every day along with any potentially inherited conditions that we may need to take into account.
2. Vision Check
The aim is to check whether you can see clearly and if you require glasses.
A combination of tests is carried out using the latest digital test chart. These checks help us assess your distance vision. A near vision test will also be carried out using the Snellen near point chart, which will give an accurate measure of your eyes ability to read particular objects at a given reading or working distance.
3. Eye Health Check
The internal and external structures of the eyes are examined using a microscope. This checks for the presence of eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma or macula degeneration.
An eye pressure check or a visual field examination may be done depending on your age and symptoms. A visual field examination checks for blind spots in your peripheral vision. These may indicate more serious health conditions such as glaucoma or retinal damage.
You eye movements will also be assessed to determine how your eye muscles are working. Your colour vision may also be assessed using specially designed colour vision plates.
4. The Extended Eye Health Check
We are committed to providing our patients with the highest standard of eyecare available. Our job is not only to ensure that your vision is at its best but to check the health of your eye. That's why we have recently installed a state-of-the-art Topcon Digital Retinal Camera in our test room. This will allow us to take photographs of the back of your eye (retina), and enable us to carry out a far more detailed examination than was previously possible.
The image we take is similar to the one shown (left) and our experienced
optometrist can use this photo to diagnose the health and condition of your
eyes. We will then have a permanent record of the condition of your eyes stored
on our computer, allowing us to compare images and look for any changes,
year on year - which could prove to be invaluable in monitoring the health of
your eye.
This check is part of our Gold Examination. This is not part of a NHS eye examination. NHS patients can upgrade to the gold examination for only £10.
5. Conclusions and Discussion
After the examination has finished, we’ll discuss your results in detail with you, explaining exactly what the results indicate and any implications that may need to be addressed. Then if appropriate, we’ll talk through the potential solutions and help you to make the right decision. Our optometrist will also recommend how frequently you should have your eyes examined.
To book your eye examination on-line click on Book appointment or call us on 020 8305 1060.