by Sue Bluze

Created on: April 12, 2010

Many of us go to get our eyes checked out and don't really understand what is being checked and why. Eye tests are important as they not only reveal the condition of your eyesight and any corrective measures that may be required, but they can also highlight instances of other serious illnesses and conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney problems and even brain tumours. In fact the eyes are a very good indicator of any one's general health.

In  the UK an eye examination every two years is accepted as standard practice, this may vary if your family has a history of eye issues, as mine does, so we generally have an eye test every 12 months.

When you attend your eye examination you should always take along any spectacles you normally wear , it is also important that you don't wear contact lenses for at least 12 hours prior to your eye test as they mould the eye and can distort the test results. It is also important to take along the names of any medication you are taking and the name of your Doctor. This is because some medication can give results that mimic illnesses in the eyes.

The eye examination is designed to check your eyesight, your eye health and detect conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic eye disease and high blood pressure, and will normally include the following tests:

1 - The subjective test - you will be asked to read letters on a wall chart

2 - External eye examination - The Optometrist will shine a light on the front of your eyes to check their health and pupil reactions

3 - Internal eye examination - The Optometrist will shine a light into your eyes to check the health of the crystalline lens and the retina

4 - Eye muscle test - the Optometrist will check that the muscles that control your eye movement are working correctly

5 - Do you need spectacles or contact lenses? - If you need spectacles or contact lenses to improve your vision, the Optometrist will work out the exact prescription you need.

Depending on your age, family history and health of your eyes you may also have one or more of the following additional tests:

6 - Eye pressure test -usually a puff of air is blown onto the front of each eye to measure the internal pressure in the eye to help detect conditions such as glaucoma which is also known as tunnel vision and can lead to permanent blindness if left untreated.

7 - Auto refraction test - where you are asked to look directly into an instrument and your approximate eye correction and eye shape is recorded.

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