Your Eye Examination

Your eyesight is your most precious sense and deserves the highest standards of professional care. Without good vision it is difficult to enjoy most everyday activities, including reading, driving and watching TV. Poor sight may also indicate the presence of potentially serious eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration, or general health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure.

Because eye conditions often develop slowly, you may not notice any initial symptoms. That is why it is essential to have your eyes examined regularly by an Optometrist . The sooner any problem is detected, the greater the chance of it being treated successfully.

If you have any concerns about your vision, you should contact us immediately. We provide quality eyecare and will always take as much time as necessary to examine your eyes thoroughly and answer any questions you may have.

There is much more to your eye examination at First Optic than finding out if you need spectacles or contact lenses. We also carry out a range of tests to assess the health of your eyes. And because everyone's eyesight is different, we tailor the eye examination to your individual circumstances. This may include the following elements and other tests where appropriate, based on our professional evaluation of your visual requirements.

HISTORY & SYMPTOMS

First of all, we discuss any problems you might have with your eyesight and general health. Many eye conditions are health-related and it is important that you let us know if you are taking any medicines as these may affect your vision. To assess your visual needs, we also discuss your work and leisure activities.

SPECTACLES ASSESSMENT

If you already wear spectacles or contact lenses, you should bring these to your appointment. We will then check the lenses to establish their type, optical power, and how well you can see with them.

REFRACTION

This part of the examination finds out whether you need an optical prescription and, if so, which lenses give you the best vision. We check your near vision (for reading), your distance vision (for driving or TV) and your intermediate vision (for hobbies or computer work). These refraction tests will reveal if you are short-sighted, long-sighted, presbyopic or have astigmatism. As everyone's vision changes over time you may experience one or more of the above conditions. However all can be corrected with spectacles or contact lenses.

OCULOMOTOR BALANCE

It is important that your eye muscles work together. This test checks that both your eyes are co-ordinated and that you have comfortable vision at all distances. Sometimes prisms are prescribed to help alleviate symptoms such as head ache or fatigue.

PUPIL REFLEXES

The pupil controls the amount of light reaching the retina at the back of your eye and so affects images seen by the brain. An unusual pupil reflex may indicate neurological problems.

INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE

This test measures the pressure inside your eyes. Too much pressure can indicate glaucoma, a disease which eventually leads to blindness if untreated. The test is usually carried out on people over 40 or those with glaucoma in the family. The results are evaluated in conjunction with a visual field test and ophthalmoscopy.

VISUAL FIELD TEST

Testing your all-round vision can detect glaucoma and other neurological conditions. Particular attention is paid to your peripheral vision as losing your field of vision is one of the main signs of glaucoma.

OPHTHALMOSCOPY

This is a very important part of the examination because it checks the health of your eyes. Using a hand-held instrument called an ophthalmoscope, a light is shone through your pupil into the eye. This enables us to see the internal parts clearly, such as your lens, retina and optic nerve, and so check for problems like diabetes, cataracts, hypertension, glaucoma and macular degeneration.

RETINAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Here the Optometrist will take a photograph of the back of your eye using a Digital Retinal Camera, allowing us to carry out a more detailed check for glaucoma, diabetes, age related macular degeneration and other conditions. The procedure is comfortable and the image captured in seconds using flash photography, nothing touches your eyes.

VISUAL ASSESSMENT

When your eye examination is finished, we'll give you an explanation of your vision and your eye-health, plus a copy of your optical prescription. We'll then recommend a time for your next eye examination based on your visual needs. Our practitioner will also be happy to answer any questions you may have about your eyesight and the examination.

EXAMINATION FEES

First Optic Opticians offer both NHS and private sight tests. Our full private eye examination fee is £25.00, or just £35.00 including retinal photography. Many people are now entitled to free eye examinations under the NHS and you are eligible if you belong to one of the groups listed below. You may also qualify for NHS help with the cost of your glasses or contact lenses, so please ask us for further details.

You are under 16 or under 19 in full-time education
You are aged 60 or over
You suffer from glaucoma or diabetes
You are aged 40 or over and are either the parent, brother, sister or child of a person who has or had glaucoma
You are considered to be at risk of glaucoma by an ophthalmologist
You have been prescribed complex lenses under the NHS voucher scheme
You are registered blind or partially sighted
You or your partner have a valid HC2 certificate
You or your partner receive either income support, working families' tax credit, income-based job seeker's allowance, disabled person's tax credit or certain pension credits.

BACK TO TOP