Some patients will not require an Enhanced Eye Examination. If you’re under 40 and have no known eye conditions and no health concerns, our Standard Eye Examination will be adequate.
What happens in a sight test?
The sight test is made up of several parts which come together to ensure we perform a thorough check of your eyes. Don’t worry – your optometrist will guide you through every part of the sight test.
- First, your optician will ask you some questions about any problems you’ve been having with your vision or your eyes; including blurriness, discomfort, discharge and so on. They will also ask about any problems you’ve had with your eyes previously, your general health, medications, whether you drive, and your occupation. This lets us tailor the eye examination to your individual needs, making sure we provide you with the best check possible.
- Next, they will check your vision by asking you to read off the chart. They will show you some different lenses to work out the best spectacle prescription for you.
- Then, your optometrist will use a microscope to examine your eyes and check for any ocular health issues.
- Finally, the optometrist will explain their findings and make some recommendations on how you can make the most of your vision and keep your eyes healthy. This may include getting new glasses, contact lenses, suggesting lifestyle changes that will help you keep your eyes healthy, safety glasses, sports goggles, or alternative options to keep your eyes at their best.
There are some other tests your optometrist may perform to help them check your eye health. These may include:
- Eye pressure check. Don’t worry – we don’t do the air puff test any more! This test is painless and quick, and lets us check the pressure in the eye is healthy.
- Visual fields test. This lets your optometrist make sure that your peripheral vision is as it should be.
- Colour vision test. These checks allow your optometrist to tell if you see colours in the same way as most of the population. This is important for certain jobs, eg. train drivers and electricians.
- Topography. This is when your optometrist measures the curvature of the surface of your eye.
If you have any questions about any of the tests, please ask one of our friendly staff members.
This can be covered by the NHS (if eligible) or privately at a cost of £35.