the eye examination
Some of our new patients arrive with existing conditions and prescriptions that they know are complex. Others do not yet require any kind of eyewear. Our current patients range in age from a few weeks to their 90’s.
Whatever your situation may be, we know your eyes are as unique as your finger print. So, during an eye examination we're seeking to find appropriate and comfortable answers to your own eyes' special demands.
Our consulting rooms are superbly equipped (much of the equipment we routinely use is still very rare not just in Britain but anywhere in the world) which enable us to determine precisely your eyes needs and monitor their condition over time.
The examination includes all the necessary tests to detect the presence of a wide range of eye conditions including, amongst the more common ones, cataract, macular degeneration, retinal detachment and glaucoma. Our examinations are also designed to detect signs of general conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Routine appointments for children are 20 minutes long. For children with learning difficulties, a 60-minute appointment is booked.
During your eye examination we may carry out a range of tests many of which you will find interesting and reassuring. We will usually:
- Ask you about existing symptoms or concerns
- Take a detailed eye and general health history.
- Examine sight and establish the optical prescription for spectacles or contact lenses.
- Examine the functions of eye muscles and nerves
- Examine the external and internal health of your eyes
- Photograph your retina with either our ImageNet fundus camera or
OptoMap Panoramic Laser Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope, or both - Examine the visual field of the eyes with Humphrey field analyser- the "gold standard" in visual fields examination.
- Measure eye pressures
- Check blood pressure when necessary
- Give professional advice and liaise with your GP and other professionals when necessary
- Specialist examinations, utilising advanced new technology may be required in order to improve early diagnosis or monitoring of ocular pathology. These include Stratus OCT and Gdx Vcc.
Understandably this all takes between 30-50 minutes. If spectacles are required, dispensing may take up to an hour; so… please do leave plenty of time; you should be prepared to spend up to one and a half hours in the practice.
