An ophthalmologist performs an eye exam. Nowadays there is no need to go to an outpatient clinic to have your vision checked by an ophthalmologist, since almost every optician salon offers vision testing services.

An eye exam involves examining a person’s ability to see near and distant objects, the visual field, and the ability to distinguish one color from another.

To test the eyesight of an ophthalmologist for acuity, a person is usually shown tables consisting of a set of numbers, letters or other symbols of different sizes. The table can be fixed to the wall or displayed on it using a symbol projector. The patient must establish which letters, symbols and numbers are shown to him. First, visual acuity is checked in each individual eye, when the patient is asked to cover one eye with his hand, and the second to try to see the symbols. Then visual acuity is checked in both eyes at once, when it is necessary to look with two eyes. If a person wears lenses or corrective glasses, then vision is checked both without them and with them. To test eyesight with an ophthalmologist at a close distance, it is necessary to read a text fragment, which is printed in letters of different fonts.

If the result of a vision test by an ophthalmologist showed reduced vision, then the ophthalmologist’s tasks include establishing the cause of the deterioration in vision, for which he can prescribe a refractive analysis of the patient.

Analysis of human refraction is the identification of the optical intensity of corrective aids for vision, which are necessary for a person in order for him to be able to see normally. Errors in the study of refraction can occur under the condition of focusing light rays not at the very center of the retina, on a little behind it or in front of it. A vision examination by an ophthalmologist will certainly include a refraction test if a person wears glasses or contact lenses. 

A visual examination by an ophthalmologist for visual field analysis consists in assessing peripheral vision. The visual field is the area that a person is able to see in a particular direction of the eyes. Accordingly, a person sees objects in the center of the field of view more clearly, and at the periphery they are vague and indistinct.  

An ophthalmologist’s vision test for color perception is carried out to establish color blindness – a violation of color perception – in patients who have suspicions of pathology of the retina or optic nerve. In addition, color perception tests are routinely performed in those patients who have a genetic predisposition to color blindness.

Regular eye examination by an optometrist

Eyesight needs to be checked regularly. If there are no eye health problems, then the vision test must be carried out at a frequency corresponding to the scheme: 

– almost immediately after the birth of the child;

– a child at the age of six months;

– when the child reaches the age of three;

– before entering school and annually during training;

– every two years from the age of twenty to sixty-five years;

– annually after sixty-five years.

These peculiar dates are in the nature of recommendations, that is, it is advisable to observe them for people who do not have problems with visual acuity. With the development of some deviations from normal vision, more frequent visits to the ophthalmologist may be prescribed:

An eye exam is important for several reasons:

– to identify the need for timely correction of vision using contact lenses or glasses;

– to establish signs of the development of any eye pathologies;

– after receiving an eye injury;

– to obtain a license to drive a car or to obtain a permit for certain professions.