Eyehealthwith CecilAmey opticians

Be clear on eyetests!

CecilAmeyOpticians& HearingCare arethe largest independentOpticiansand HearingCareprovider in EastAnglia,with10 practices across Norfolk,Suffolk &North Norfolk. Here,theyexplain aboutthebenefitsofhaving an eyetestandwhat to expect during your appointment.

What isan eyetest?

An eyetestis avital health checkfor your eyes. Everyadult needs oneevery twoyears, and some people maybeadvised to have atest more often;for example people aged40 or over with afamilyhistoryof glaucoma,people aged70 or over andpeople withdiabetes.

What happensduring an eyetest?

Youroptometristwillaskabout your medicalhistory, medication andwhether anyone in your familyhas eyeproblems. You shouldtell youroptometrist aboutanydifficulties youhave with focusing, headachesorother problems. Your eyetestwillalso look atthefollowing:

Your eyehealth –the optometristmight shineabright light close to your eyes to check theinside andoutside oftheeyes forsignsofdisease.Alternatively, they look through aspecial lenswhich helps give aclear, magnifiedview oftheback ofthe eye,calledtheretina.

Yourvision –the optometrist willask youtoreadlettersona chartanduse different lenses to see howmuchyourvision canbeimprovedfor distantand nearobjects.

Howyoureyesworktogether –theoptometristwillask youto look at aletteror objectand willthen coverone eyeata time to see howwellyoureyeswork together.

Thepressureinside your eyes –the frontofyoureye isfilledwithfluid,andifthe pressureofthisfluidrises itcan causesight loss. Theoptometrist will checkthe pressureofyour eyesat everytest once youreach theage of40.Thiscanbe done with amachine that blowsalittle puffofair on theeye.

Yourfield ofvision –the optometristwill checkhow well youcan seeinthecentreand at theedgeofyourfieldofvision using atestthatflashesfaint spotsoflight.

Optical CoherenceTomography -OCTScan Thereisanadditional chargefor anOCTscan, butthe benefits reallyare invaluableasitgivesan on-going record ofthehealthand condition of your eyes. This clever technology, whichisquick andcompletely painless,allowsustosee,in incredibledetail,thebackof theeye'sdistinctive layers.This helps ouroptometrists detect anyearly signsof glaucoma or other eye-relatedconditions such as diabetes andmacular degeneration.WehaveOCTsin 8ofour10 practices across Norfolkand Suffolk,so please ask aboutthis when booking your next eyetest.

Do Ihavetoget my glasses fromthesameopticianwho carriedoutthe eyetest?

ABDO,theAssociation of BritishDispensingOpticians, recommendsthat youdo, to ensureyourprescription and spectacledispenseareinterpreted andmadeupcorrectly.Italso ensuresthatanyproblemscanbe handled more easily.