The quality of life you lead is largely dependent on your vision. If you struggle to see and suffer other related problems like headaches when doing everyday tasks such as reading, driving, etc., you are bound to lead a low-quality life.
What’s more, even if you have great vision now, your eyes and overall vision tend to change over time due to factors like aging (1). Other factors could also be at play. For instance, poor eye health may be linked to an underlying health condition like diabetes, hypertension, some cancers, etc (2).
The need to constantly monitor your eye health can’t therefore be overemphasized and there’s no better way to do this than to go for eye tests regularly. But what exactly is an eye test? Let’s find out.
What are Eye Tests?
A regular eye test or eye exam involves some tests to determine if you have refractive errors that need eyeglasses or contacts to correct. These tests are normally done by opticians using special equipment, lights and/or other aids such as eye charts (3).
What Happens at an Eye Exam: Comprehensive vs. Ordinary Eye Exams
Not all eye tests are the same. As the name suggests, comprehensive eye tests are more detailed and thorough compared to regular ones. Their main differences can be explored based on the focus and eye tests involved.
I. Difference in Focus
While a regular or routine eye exam focuses on checking vision for purposes of updating your eyeglass or contact lens prescription, a comprehensive eye exam is more in-depth and checks for underlying issues. Comprehensive eye tests are therefore longer than regular ones.
II. Difference in Eye Tests
In a regular eye exam, you are most likely to be subjected to a visual acuity test that measures the ability to distinguish shapes and details in objects at a different distance. Regular eye exams may also test for near vision.
Comprehensive eye exams take a more in-depth look into your overall ocular health. Besides doing a visual acuity test, you will undergo many other tests to assess your depth perception, eye movement, pupil dilation, and internal eye structures. These tests include, but aren’t limited to(4):
- Visual field test for examining peripheral vision (side vision).
- Refraction test for determining an ideal prescription for corrective lenses (eyeglasses or contacts).
- Tonometry test for measuring the pressure inside your eyes.
- Dilation test for having a better look inside your eyes.
- Color vision test for examining color perception.
- Retinal exam for examining the retina, macula, and optic nerve.
- Slit-lamp test for examining warning signs of eye conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, and corneal ulcers.
What An Eye Exam Can Detect: What Diseases Can Be Detected in an Eye Exam?
As mentioned, special eye tests like slit-lamp tests can examine the eyes for serious eye diseases like cataracts, glaucoma, and corneal ulcers. There are other diseases that can be detected by a comprehensive eye examination, such as (5):
- Brain tumor
- Aneurysm
- Some cancers (cancers of the skin, tissue and blood)
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Giant cell arteritis,
- Lyme disease
- Lupus
- Multiple sclerosis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Myasthenia gravis
- Sickle cell disease
- Sarcoidosis
- Thyroid disease
- Stroke
- Age-related macular degeneration
Eye Exams: What to Expect
Comprehensive eye exams are done by highly specialized eye doctors like optometrists. The process is simple and can be divided into three steps:
Step 1: Initial Assessment
When you undergo a comprehensive eye exam expect to be asked about your medical history, which includes information about your eye symptoms (if any), medication/s you are taking, your working environment, any current eye condition (if any), and other information that can explain the genesis of any eye condition you may have.
Step 2: Eye Tests
After recording your patient information, you will undergo the tests discussed above. Your doctor will be thorough to be sure they don’t miss anything.
Step 3: Evaluation, Diagnosis and Recommendations
This is the last step of your comprehensive eye test. Here, your patient history and eye test results are evaluated, and a diagnosis is given. If you have an eye condition, a treatment plan will be discussed. If you need further treatment i.e. eye surgery, your optometrist will refer you to an ophthalmologist to perform the surgery. If you have any questions, you can ask them at this stage.
How Long Does an Eye Exam Take?
Comprehensive eye exams can take an hour or longer depending on factors such as the number of tests required to fully evaluate an underlying vision condition.
How Often Should You Have an Eye Exam?
It depends on factors like age. As per CAO (Canadian Association of Optometrists), adults aged 19 to 64 should have eye exams at least once every two years. Seniors aged 65 years or more should have eye exams around once a year (6).
However, this recommendation is for people who have no visual issues. If you experience any symptoms i.e., eye strain, headaches, blurry vision, etc., you should go for an eye exam. People at risk of eye conditions i.e., those with certain underlying health conditions are also required to go for eye exams more often than normal.
OHIP Eye Coverage for Comprehensive Eye Exams
In case you are wondering about the cost of a comprehensive eye test, it’s worth noting that through the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (or OHIP) it’s possible to enjoy high-quality publicly funded eye care services like comprehensive eye exams.
The OHIP offers coverage for annual exams for eligible individuals of all ages. The frequency at which a person can go for an OHIP-covered eye exam is dictated by age and the presence/severity of an underlying OHIP-approved disease.
- Coverage for seniors: Seniors (individuals aged 64 years or more) who are stable or have unconfirmed conditions are eligible for one OHIP-insured exam every 1.5 years vs one exam annually for those with confirmed and severe conditions.
- Coverage for adults: Individuals aged 20-64 years qualify for one OHIP-insured comprehensive exam only if they have a confirmed and/or severe sight-threatening condition
- Coverage for persons aged 19 or below: Individuals who are 19 or below qualify for an OHIP-insured eye exam annually from an optometrist even if they don’t have any eye-threatening condition.
Final Thoughts
Routine eye exams are not enough. You need to go for comprehensive eye exams to ensure you have good eye health. Even if your vision is currently good, the eyes undergo changes with age. Some diseases can also cause eye changes.
Without comprehensive eye exams, you can’t detect such diseases and get treatment options early to avoid potentially serious conditions or consequences like vision loss. Most importantly, you need eye exams done by highly trained and experienced optometrists offering unlimited eye tests with the latest equipment.
Luckily, you can go for a comprehensive eye exam at St Lawrence Eye Care – a leading eye clinic in Toronto with highly experienced optometrists offering OHIP-covered eye exams to eligible people.
Get an eye exam at no extra out-of-pocket costs. Book an appointment or call 647-952-1099 for OHIP eligibility among other information. Ask a question online.
References
[2] Canadian Association of Optometrists: https://opto.ca/eye-health-library/eye-exam
[3] Cleveland Clinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/10738-eye-exam-what-to-expect
[4] WebMD: https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/eye-tests-exams
[5] American Academy of Ophthalmology: https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/surprising-health-conditions-eye-exam-detects
[6] Canadian Association of Optometrists:https://opto.ca/eye-health-library/eye-exam