Why Regular Eye Tests Are Essential For Everyone

What Are Eye Tests?

Eye tests and examinations are procedures performed by eye care professionals, such as optometrists or ophthalmologists, to assess the overall health of your eyes and evaluate your vision. They range from basic vision tests to comprehensive evaluations that check for diseases and other health conditions that can affect your eyes.

An eye test involves a general check-up and conversations about your vision, followed by a series of tests, with a trained eye care specialist. This helps to detect problems in the back, interior or surface of the eye, with a view to diagnosing diseases early.

Types Of Eye Tests

When examining your eyes, your optometrist will use a wide variety of tests and procedures to assess the health of your eyes and test your eyesight. This could involve multiple kinds of tests, with the ultimate intention of deciphering what conditions (if any) are plaguing one or both eyes.

These are some of the tests commonly performed by eye doctors:

1. Visual Acuity Test: This is the most common and basic eye test that measures how clearly you can see. It usually involves reading letters from an eye chart (Snellen chart) at various distances to determine the sharpness of your vision.
2. Refraction Test: This test tells your doctor if you need prescription lenses, as well as what prescription lens you need to see properly.
3. Tonometry: This is a diagnostic test that measures the pressure inside your eye, which is called intraocular pressure (IOP). This test helps to determine whether or not you may be at risk of glaucoma, a serious eye disease that can eventually lead to vision loss if untreated.
4. Ophthalmoscopy: This is a test that lets your eye doctor see the back of your eye, where the retina, optic disc, and blood vessels are located. This test can help detect issues like diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and retinal detachment.
5. Colour Vision Test: This test checks your ability to distinguish between different colours. It’s often done using a set of plates (known as Ishihara plates) with numbers or patterns made of dots in different colours. If you don’t pass this test, it could mean that you are colour-blind.
6. Visual Field Test: This measures your peripheral vision as well as your all-round vision. It can detect blind spots and issues with the visual pathways that may be linked to conditions like glaucoma, optic nerve damage, or neurological disorders.
7. Eye Muscle Function Test: This evaluates the proper functioning of the extraocular muscles of the eyes. An eye care specialist observes the movement of the eyes in eight specific directions.

Why Should We Take Regular Eye Tests?

Regular eye tests are essential for maintaining good eye health and preventing serious eye conditions. They are not just for people with poor vision or those who wear glasses. Everyone, regardless of age or visual ability, should get regular eye tests. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Early Detection of Eye Conditions: Many serious eye conditions, such as glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration, develop gradually and may not show symptoms in the early stages. Regular eye exams can detect these issues before they cause significant vision loss.
2. Preserving Eyesight: Regular eye tests help ensure your vision is functioning properly. Changes in vision can occur subtly over time, and without corrective lenses or treatment, you may experience strain or permanent damage. Routine tests allow you to update your prescription and prevent issues from escalating.
3. Monitoring Changes in Vision: Vision changes can happen due to aging, medical conditions, or lifestyle factors. Regular eye exams can track these changes.
4. Preventing Permanent Vision Loss: Some conditions, such as glaucoma, can cause irreversible damage if not treated in time. Since symptoms may not appear until significant damage has occurred, regular eye tests are essential for preventing permanent vision loss.
5. Pointers to other Health Conditions: Eye exams can reveal early signs of other serious health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and even certain types of cancers.

National Eye Health Week 2024 And Optimax Open Days

National Eye Health Week (NEHW) will take place from 23-29 September 2024, promoting the importance of good eye health and the need for regular eye tests for all. At Optimax, we believe that eye health matters, and regular check-ups are key to maintaining your vision. This is why in the course of NEHW, our clinics will be open for free suitability assessments from Monday to Saturday between 9.00am and 8.00pm.

Visitors will get to find out if they are suitable for any procedures, and be guided on the steps to take should they decide to show interest. There will also be an exclusive £850 discount off bilateral laser and lens surgery treatments at all our clinics.

Take this opportunity to resolve all your inquiries about vision correction, and learn more about our range of services. You can either book a consultation online, make an appointment over the phone on 0800 093 1110, or walk into any of our 18 clinics nationwide.