Optometrist Appointments: What to Expect

When you go to the optometrist, you will be given an in-depth eye exam to make sure that everything is aligned, and working as it should. Each doctor has his or her own procedure for testing your vision, but most will check the following aspects of your eye health:

• Vision – the doctor will check your vision for astigmatism, farsightedness, and nearsightedness while you look at and read from a chart.


• Coordination – the doctor will move a light to make sure your eyes are moving together and able to follow the movement.


• Peripheral (side) vision – the doctor will move something to see how good you are at noticing objects that are not directly in front of you.


• Response to light – the doctor will flash a light in your eyes to make sure your eyes dilate and contract in response to the light

After that, the doctor will:

• Show you some pictures to make sure that you are able to see the full color spectrum, and do not have any issues, such as color blindness.


• Dilate your eyes by using several drops of a liquid, and then the will dim the lights so that your pupils will dilate fully, and then they will use a machine to look at the back of your eyes to make sure that everything is healthy and there are no abnormalities that could signal other diseases.


• Use a tonometer to measure the pressure of fluid on the inside of you eye by releasing a puff of air onto your eye.

You might still have dilated pupils after the appointment, so wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from sunlight. Stay away from bright lights for a few hours, and everything will be back to normal.