Do You Need A Back To School Eye Exam?

Going back to school takes a lot of prep work. There’s a lot to keep track of, like signing up for classes and buying books! Don’t forget planning your social life as well! One of the most important things you can invest in this year is your eyesight. School is a lot easier when you can clearly and easily see the board in front of you!

What is the number one way to keep your eyes healthy? Hint: it’s not by eating carrots. The answer is scheduling regular eye exams with Eye Physicians & Surgeons of Arizona in Glendale and Scottsdale.

Regular eye exams allow your doctor to detect changes in your vision earlier. If there are any vision problems, treatment is administered quickly before permanent damage. Remember: the best way to deal with a problem is to stop it from happening in the first place.

How Do Eye Exams Work?

A typical eye exam gives your eye doctor a good idea of how healthy your eyes are. This includes the state of your vision and if you have any eye diseases.

During your eye exam, numerous tests are performed on your eyes to test for specific problems. Depending on the number of tests, the exam could last an hour or longer.

Types Of Tests

During your annual eye exam, you will be tested for: visual acuity, depth perception, and glaucoma. There are other types of tests, but these are the most common. These tests are important because they can detect vision problems or diseases early.

Visual Acuity
A visual acuity test will test your static vision. Static vision means your ability to see something while you and the object are still.

A visual acuity test is one of the most recognizable vision tests. It involves the Snellen chart. A Snellen chart is a large poster with rows of letters that get smaller as you get to the bottom.

Each row has a number that relates to the size of the letters. During the test, you’re seated exactly 20 feet away from the chart during the test. If you can read the “size 20” line from this distance, congratulations! You have 20/20 vision. If you can see below the 20-foot line on the chart, you have better than 20/20 vision. Yes, this is possible!

Depth Perception
Depth perception refers to our ability to perceive our surroundings in 3D. Depth perception can be tested by wearing 3D glasses and identifying images. The images are shown in a specialized book. The goal is to see which images appear closer to you, measuring your depth perception.

Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye condition that steals sight. Glaucoma is dangerous because it often has no symptoms. The only way to know if you have glaucoma is to have regular eye exams.

Without regular eye exams, you may not know that you have glaucoma. There is no cure for glaucoma but vision can be saved if it’s caught early. To test for glaucoma, your eye doctor will check your eye pressure.

Have questions or want to schedule an eye exam? Contact Eye Physicians & Surgeons of Arizona today for the good of your eyes!