What to Expect at Your First Eye Exam
Doing anything for the first time can seem a little intimidating, especially when it’s a first-time eye exam. If you’ve never been to an eye doctor’s appointment before or it’s been a long time since you last went, you may feel nervous and have many questions. Don’t despair though!
At Visionworks, we have expert eye technicians and optometrists who guide you through your first eye doctor’s visit—and we have online resources to give the information you need for a stress-free eye exam.
All you need to do now is find an eye doctor near you and schedule your appointment! First, let’s answer some basic questions about eye exams to help you feel prepared for your upcoming visit.
Who Needs an Eye Exam?
More than 90 million Americans are at risk of vision loss. That’s one in four people! "Who needs an annual eye exam?", you may ask. The short answer is: everyone needs a yearly routine eye exam. Eye exams are one of the most important measures you can take to preserve not only your eye health—but your overall health, too!
How Often Should You Get an Eye Exam?
Everyone’s eyes and health situation are different, but we have recommendations for you. Ask your eye doctor for advice if you have a special situation.
The secret to maintaining healthy eyes is to have regular eye exams when you’re young and remain consistent throughout adulthood. Babies should have their first eye appointment between 6 and 12 months of age. Children should have at least one eye exam between the ages of 3 and 5 and have annual exams after age five.
As an adult, you should have an eye appointment every year, even if you have no vision issues. That’s because your vision can change without you even noticing. Anyone who wears glasses or contact lenses requires annual appointments to renew prescriptions. Older adults and those with certain vision problems may need to go more than once a year for eye health monitoring.
How to Prepare for an Eye Exam
To get the most from your eye exam, a bit of preparation is in order. When you go in for an eye exam, bring these items:
- A picture ID
- Vision insurance information and/or a form of payment
- Your current glasses or contacts
- A complete list of current medications
- A list of any existing eye problems in your family or history
Before your exam, take a moment to think about whether you have had any unusual eye symptoms, such as difficulty distinguishing colors, blurry vision, difficulty reading, flashes of light or eye irritations. Jot these down so you can ask your eye doctor about all concerning symptoms.
Many people ask, “can you drive after an eye exam?” At most eye exams, the optometrist dilates your pupils by administering eye drops. This effect takes a few hours to wear off entirely and typically makes you very sensitive to sunlight. We recommend having a family member or friend drive you home after the appointment, especially if this is your first eye exam.
What Happens at an Eye Exam?
Eye exams are not just about getting an updated prescription, though that’s an essential part of the appointment. Eye exams provide a comprehensive look at the health of your eyes and overall health. During a typical eye exam, an eye doctor performs the following eight steps/procedures.
Medical Consultation
Your eye doctor begins the exam by asking about your vision and general health. For best results, answer honestly and tell your doctor about any concerns you have.
Visual Acuity Test
The visual acuity test is an eye exam staple: you probably already know about this test. The visual acuity test measures how well you can see with each eye.
Your optometrist asks you to cover one eye at a time and read a chart with various letters, numbers or symbols on it. The eye chart you’ll see is a lot like the one with the big “E” that you may have seen in the school nurse’s office. Your doctor has you read charts with different-sized letters to measure how well you see at various distances.
Refraction Test
The optometrist conducts this test for those who need a prescription. This exam involves a large machine that looks like a giant pair of glasses with multiple lenses. To determine your prescription, your doctor switches these lenses to different strengths as you look at a chart.
During this exam, the doctor continually asks, "Which one is better? One or two?" The differences between the lenses may be small, but don’t worry. Your first instinct is typically correct, and don’t hesitate to ask the optometrist to slow down or repeat the options.
Eye Pressure Test
This test can make you a tiny bit nervous or uncomfortable, because although it doesn’t hurt, it’s surprising—even if you’ve experienced it before. It’s an important check for glaucoma and other health issues. It’s a simple procedure to measure your inner eye pressure.
For this test, your eye doctor has you rest your chin in a machine and gently moves a small tool close to your eye. Then, a little puff of air is blown into your eye. This test is super quick! All you need to do is stay still and not blink.
Slit-lamp Test
For this test, your eye doctor uses a microscope with a bright light that shines into your eye. During this test, the doctor checks the health of your corneas, irises and the fluid chambers between them.
Eye Dilation
Sometimes during an eye exam, your eye doctor may need to get a deeper look at the internal eye structure and your retina. To do this, the doctor uses drops that dilate the pupils in your eyes.
Dilation makes your pupils larger so the doctor can see inside your eye. Dilation is easy and only requires a few eye drops, but it can make it hard to focus your eyes on closeup objects for a few hours afterward. Be sure to bring sunglasses for after your appointment because this test makes your eyes more sensitive to light. If you don’t have sunglasses, your optometrist provides disposable dark glasses that can be worn either alone or inside your glasses.
Premium Retinal Imaging
At Visionworks, you have the option to upgrade to a premium eye exam with advanced digital retinal imaging. For this, we use an ultra-wide digital retinal imaging system, which is basically a big camera that takes a photo of your eye.
This method captures more than 80% of your retina in one image, whereas other methods typically only reveal around 15% at a time. With this new technology, your doctor can detect the earliest signs of retinal disease and indicators of other conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. This imaging is quick and only adds about 10 minutes to your exam, but it is incredibly valuable for your health because it detects issues that can be treated early and monitored over time, keeping them in check.
Contact Lens Fitting
If during the exam your doctor finds you need a prescription, you could be eligible to wear contacts. If it’s your first time getting contact lenses, you must have an additional fitting and examination.
Every eye is unique in shape and size, so your eye doctor makes sure the contact lenses fit correctly on both your eyes and make the best vision corrections possible. Your doctor measures your eyes and determines the best type of contact lenses for you.
If you feel apprehensive about trying contacts for the first time, no need to worry. Visionworks doctors show you how to put the contacts in, take them out and clean them properly.
Which Diseases Can Be Detected in an Eye Exam?
Comprehensive eye exams, like Visionworks’ Premier Eye Exam, yield valuable insight into the health of not only your eyes, but your whole body. Digital retinal imaging detects for eye diseases like glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy, but that’s not all!
During a comprehensive eye exam, your doctor can see optic nerve endings and blood vessels in your eyes. Both show information about general health as well as information about the eyes. Comprehensive eye exams can catch early signs of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and other conditions, because these often manifest first in the tiny blood vessels of the eye. This is why routine eye exams are essential for managing your overall health and well-being.
How Long Does an Eye Exam Take?
At Visionworks, we aim to simplify eye care and make eye exams as convenient as possible. While the duration of an eye exam varies depending on your health and vision, most eye exams last 30 minutes to an hour.
Make sure to budget extra time for your appointment, however. You may need time to shop for new glasses after your exam—the most fun part!
Are Eye Exams Painful?
Eye exams are generally pain-free, but can feel a little awkward or uncomfortable, especially if you’ve never had one before. You may have to fight the urge to blink or move away from the examination machine during the eye pressure test, for example.
Our doctors make every effort to put you at ease by talking you through the process and answering any questions you have before, during and after your exam.
What Happens after Your Eye Exam?
After your eye exam, your eye doctor makes recommendations for your care, such as the frequency of followup appointments. If you have healthy, 20/20 vision, you may only need to schedule a checkup for the following year. A Visionworks Associate helps you schedule your next appointment before you leave.
If you have a change in your prescription, you’ll want to choose new contact lenses or shop the latest glasses trends to update your look.
Trust Visionworks for Your Eye Exams
Whether this is your first eye exam or fiftieth, we want to put your mind at ease. Our number one priority at Visionworks is patient care, so we take the time to ensure you understand every step in the process and remain comfortable from start to finish.
With locations across the country, we’re ready to help you get the eye exam you need. Don't wait. Schedule an appointment with Visionworks today.
Information received through Visionworks® content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your eye doctor, physician, or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Claims regarding blue light efficiency are supported by manufacturer-provided test results.
