It is important to have your eyes checked regularly by your doctor to help maintain healthy vision and to detect possible vision disorders. Your doctor will perform several tests to check the status of your eyes and your vision and gain a comprehensive understanding of your general health, your family health history, medications you may be taking and visual tasks your lifestyle may demand. Eye tests are also conducted to determine what procedure is right for the vision disorder you may have. The most commonly performed eye tests are listed below. Click on each test to see how they are performed and what each test can determine.
Blood pressure test
Blood pressure is a measurement of the force applied to the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood through the body. This test monitors your overall health.
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Color vision test
Color vision tests check your ability to distinguish colors and are often part of a routine eye examination. You will be asked to identify patterns of different colors on color plates called pseudoisochromatic plates. People with colorblindness typically cannot distinguish these patterns. Color vision tests only detect a deficiency, so further testing is needed to identify a specific problem.
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Cover test
During a cover test, your doctor will have you focus on a small object at a distance and then cover each of your eyes alternately while you stare at the target. As he/she does this, your doctor observes the resting position of your eyes and their response to focusing and targeting the observed object. The test is then repeated up close. This helps your doctor detect strabismus (cross- or wall-eyed), uncorrected optical error or neurological disease.
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Keratometry
Keratometry measures two curves of your cornea – the steepest and the flattest. These measurements give your doctor information about the cornea’s curvature, focusing power and whether astigmatism is present. This procedure is also used to fit contact lenses, calculate the intraocular lens power for cataract surgery and monitor the corneal curvature after surgery.
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Motility test
A motility test is an examination of the function of your eye muscles. Your doctor will observe the movement of your eyes while you focus on a point being moved in six specific directions. The motility test is performed to evaluate any nerve problems, weakness or other problem in the extraocular muscles, which may result in double vision or rapid, uncontrolled eye movements.
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Near point of convergence test
The near point of convergence (NPC) test measures the closest point at which both eyes together are able to see a single image while a target is slowly moved closer to your nose. There is a standard point where you should only see one image. Double vision while reading, print that is jumping on a written page, excessive eye tearing while reading or headaches while reading often occur when this visual skill is weak.
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Ophthalmoscopy
Ophthalmoscopy is an examination of the back part of your eyeball, which includes the retina, optic disc and blood vessels. Your doctor will project a beam of light from an ophthalmoscope, an instrument about the size of a flashlight, through your pupil to view the back of the eyeball. This is performed in order to detect and evaluate symptoms of eye disease such as glaucoma or retinal detachment.
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Pupillary response test
The pupillary response test checks constriction and dilation of the pupil. It involves shining a light at your face (never directly into your eyes) and watching what your irises do. Pupils should become smaller when light is shining on your face and larger when the light is taken away. How your eyes react will determine how well your automatic nervous system is working.
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Refraction
Refraction is a test that measures your ability to see an object at a specific distance. You sit in a chair and look through lenses of different strengths at an eye chart approximately 20 feet away. With each lens, your doctor will ask if the chart appears more or less clear. This test will help your doctor determine if you have nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), an astigmatism or presbyopia.
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Slit-lamp examination
The slit-lamp exam allows your doctor to examine the anterior structures of your eye (i.e., cornea, iris and lens) under high magnification using a microscope with a light attached to it. The slit-lamp exam can detect many diseases of the eye including cataracts, presbyopia and retinal detachment.
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Tonometry
Tonometry is a procedure that measures the pressure inside the eyes. There are several types of tonometers available for this test but the most common is the applanation tonometer. The eye is first numbed with anesthetic eye drops and then the tonometer’s sensor is placed against the front surface of the eye. Your doctor will measure the pressure required to flatten a certain area of the cornea and then record the pressure reading. The test is used to screen for glaucoma, a disease in which the pressure inside the eyes increases to the point that it impairs vision and, if left untreated, may cause blindness.
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Topography
Topography creates a "map" of the curvature of your cornea using a computer with a specialized camera. Any distortions of the cornea such as scarring or astigmatism will be visible with topography. It is useful in helping diagnose diabetic retinopathy and retinal detachment.
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Visual acuity
The visual acuity test measures the smallest letters that you can read on a standardized chart at a distance of 20 feet. It is a routine part of an eye exam that monitors if there is a change in your vision or a problem with your vision.
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