Optometrists with Drs. Campbell, Cunningham, Taylor & Haun are part of a team of doctors that offer comprehensive eye care for patients of all ages. General eye exams are important to maintain eye health and promote good vision. Persons of all ages should get a comprehensive eye exam at least every three years and for persons over 50, every 2 years, unless otherwise told by an eye care professional. Some eye conditions can go unnoticed, such as glaucoma, cataract, blepharitis, diabetic retinopathy and other eye diseases that, if not treated, could cause blindness. Certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, are considered high risk for persons in developing eye disease and, thus, vision loss. Our doctors recommend regular eye examinations if you are considered high risk, or if you wear contacts or glasses. Regular checkups are essential for good vision and, what’s more, you can determine if you are a candidate for newer prescription lens technology or even LASIK vision correction.
Comprehensive Tests
The Optometrists with Drs. Campbell, Cunningham, Taylor & Haun will perform a variety of tests on your eye to determine health and signs of eye disease. The exam itself is painless and usually patients are done within an hour or so. Our Optometrists will ask you general questions about your medical and eye health history while performing a general exam of the eye and surrounding tissue. Additionally, you will have a visual field and tests to determine visual acuity (sharpness of vision).
Other tests our Optometrists will perform include:
Pupil inspection: It is important to note the size and shape of your pupils and how they react to light and objects at various distances.
Eye muscle health and mobility: The doctor checks your ability to move your eyes and track a moving object, such as a pen.
Visual field: By covering one eye at a time and looking straight ahead with the other eye, our Optometrist will ask you to identify objects that are in your peripheral vision. Generally, the doctor will hold a number of fingers and ask relevant questions to determine the level of the visual field.
Visual acuity: Here, your Optometrist will use a chart with letters and test how well you can read the larger and smaller letters. You will be asked to cover one eye and read the top row of the largest letters and work your way down as far as you can. The smallest row you can read correctly tells your doctor the visual acuity in that eye.
Refraction: Here, your Optometrist will ask you to look through the equipment that holds interchangeable lenses and focus on the same chart to determine vision at a distance or up close. The doctor changes the lenses and asks you which one makes the chart clearer. This test helps determine your best vision in prescription glasses or contacts.
Color vision: Here, your Optometrist will have you look at a series of images with symbols embedded in colored dots or patterns. Your ability to see different symbols tests for certain types of color blindness.
Ophthalmoscopy: Your Optometrist will look inside your eyes with lights and magnifying lenses and examine your retina. This will help determine the health of the retina and tissue in the back of the eye. Additionally, we will determine if a cataract condition or other eye diseases are present. Sometimes this exam will involve dilating the eye.
Tonometry: This test involves a puff of air or light touch with a sterile instrument to measure how easily your cornea is pushed inward and thus determining the fluid pressure inside your eye. This is sometimes referred to as a glaucoma test but can also indicate other eye conditions. The test is quick and painless.
If you have questions during your eye exam, ask your doctor. Our Optometrists are always happy to answer any questions and describe in detail each test and outcomes. We have offices in Knoxville, Farragut, Hardin Valley, Fountain City, Oak Ridge, Maryville and Sevierville.
To schedule your General Eye Examination, call (865) 584-0905.
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