BASIC PROCEDURES OF AN EYE EXAM
An essential part of the standard eye exam, refracting is primarily used to determine the prescription for glasses and contacts.
The slip lamp allows the doctor to check the health and condition of the front part of the eye.
Tonometry is the procedure that pertains to checking the pressure within the eye itself. This is important to know since any pressure that is too high can result in the permanent damage and loss of vision. Glaucoma is a disease that is associated with elevated pressure within the eye. A person with such an elevated eye pressure may not feel any pain or discomfort, and yet be losing their vision over time without realizing it and eventually may lose complete vision. Therefore, tonometry is an essential part of the standard eye exam to detect early stages of glaucoma and take preventative measures as soon as possible.
Binocularity pertains to how well the two eyes work together as a team. Our vision is designed for us to see everything twice. Each of our eyes sees the same thing but from a slightly different location. Our brain has the amazing ability to merge these two slightly different images into one single perception. Poor binocularity occurs when either one of the eyes doesn't see as well as the other eye... or there is a muscle imbalance between the two eyes such that they struggle to stay focused on the same object. Either one or both of these conditions can contribute to poor binocularity.
Making sure that the inside of your eyes are healthy is an important part of the standard eye exam. The Optos technology is a great asset with regard to this. It allows the doctor to see the peripheral retina without having to dilate the patient's eyes. At Lone Star Vision we attempt to provide the Optos technology to every patient at no extra cost.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT CONTACT LENS FITTING
Unfortunately, not everyone may be a good candidate for contact lenses. Some people's eyes are too sensitive to wear contacts. Allergies are a big problem with contact lens wear. Also, some medications, like antihistamines, will dry up the eyes such that contact lens wear becomes intolerable. Even some birth control pills can affect tear production which can make wearing contacts very challenging. A discussion with the doctor will help determine if a patient is a good candidate for being fitted with contacts.
There are two main objectives in a contact lens fitting: good comfort and clear vision.
Each patient's eyes are different and may work better with one kind over another. We strive to ensure that a wide selection of top brands is available and will send you home with a trial pair to ensure that your new lenses provide all-day comfort and clear vision.
Once your prescription has been determined and you have elected to be fitted for a new pair of contacts, the contact fitting procedure begins:
Step 1: For new contact wearers, Dr. Johnson does an evaluation to establish whether or not you are a contact lens candidate.
Step 2: Based on your prescription and unique eye health needs, a contact lens type is selected for trial. Our office contains many diagnostic lenses provided for your initial fitting. If the parameters you need are not available, we will order your trial pair, which take about 5 business days to arrive.
Step 3: Once the lenses arrive, we will teach you how to insert and remove the lenses, as well as how to care for your contacts with a disinfecting solution kit.
Step 4: You can then take the lenses home with you and try them for a few days.
Step 5: We welcome you back in a few days for a complimentary follow-up visit to discuss your experience and the lens' performance. We then help you to decide whether to stay with the current prescription or if it's best to try a new diagnostic pair and repeat step 4 and 5 again until you are completely satisfied with your new contacts.
OCT: OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY
Dr. Johnson recommends that any patient who has diabetes, or a family history of glaucoma or macular degeneration should have this extra test done that can provide additional and important information about the condition of the eyes. Even if no disease is discovered on the initial use of the OCT, the testing would provide valuable base-line information that could be used in the future to compare more recent testing to. Very subtle changes in the progression of these diseases could then be discovered in their very early stages which could then greatly enhance the successful management of it. Dr. Johnson considers the OCT technology to be a powerful tool in diagnosing eye diseases in their very early stages.
The OCT can confirm the presence of diabetic macular edema and help the doctor determine if it is clinically significant or not. Once it has been established that it is present then a 2nd scan can be obtained a month or two later and then compared to check for changes or the lack of them.
Dr. Johnson's office routinely checks the pressure inside the eyes of every single patient that comes to the office for a routine eye exam. It is part of the standard set of preliminary testings that precede the standard eye exam. However, in addition to this information, Dr. Johnson recommends that every patient who discovers that glaucoma was diagnosed in their family should have the OCT performed on their own eyes.
The retinal photography and the ophthalmoscopy procedure allows for the doctor to check for the presence of Macular Degeneration. However, the OCT procedure greatly enhances this determination and can reveal subtle signs of both the dry and the wet type of Macular Degeneration before it becomes plainly obvious with the other procedures. Therefore, Dr. Johnson strongly recommends the use of OCT for adult patients who have a family history of any type of Macular Degeneration, or for any patient who is shown to have a suspicious looking macula such as an uneven distribution of macular pigment.
AUTOMATED VISUAL FIELD TESTING
Our vision includes more that just our central vision. We have our peripheral vision as well. Those of us who drive know how important it is to be able to see motion to our side while looking straight ahead. Having excellent central vision is not necessarily an indicator of having good peripheral vision. People taking certain medications, as well as anyone who has suffered from glaucoma or a stroke, even a mild one, should have their peripheral vision checked