Routine Eye Exams
Routine Eye Exams
The best way to protect your eye health and vision is to attend routine eye exams with your eye doctor at Eyes of the Southwest. Our dedicated team combines advanced technology with personalized patient care to ensure the best possible outcomes.
Why Do You Need to Have Routine Eye Exams?
Routine eye exams with your opthalmologist at Eyes of the Southwest don’t just involve checking your prescription. They can also help detect progressive eye conditions before they damage your vision.
Through early diagnosis, your eye doctor can provide prompt treatment to help preserve your eye health and vision. They may screen for a variety of conditions, including:
Glaucoma
As the second leading cause of blindness in the world, glaucoma can pose a serious threat to your eyesight. It occurs when fluid cannot drain out of the eye as it should, raising eye pressure and causing damage to the optic nerve.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration is a condition that happens when the macula begins to deteriorate, impairing your central vision.
Cataracts
Cataracts typically form as a result of aging, when the proteins within the natural lens begin to form clumps and cloud your vision.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is a condition where high blood sugar levels cause blood vessels in the retina to swell, leak, or close off, impairing vision.
Dry Eye
Dry eye, or dry eye syndrome, occurs when you cannot produce enough tears to properly lubricate your eye, or the tears you do produce are poor in quality.
What Happens During a Routine Eye Exam?
During a routine eye exam, your eye doctor will examine your eyes and review any symptoms you may be experiencing to screen for common eye conditions. Your eye doctor can also diagnose common vision problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism and prescribe glasses or contacts to improve your vision.
Some of the tests they may perform to assess your eye health and vision include:
Visual Acuity Testing
Visual acuity testing involves reading from an eye chart to determine whether you have 20/20 vision.
Refraction
Refraction involves using a phoropter device to determine your prescription for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
Visual Field Testing
One of the first signs of glaucoma can be losing your peripheral vision. Visual field testing can measure your peripheral or side vision to detect vision loss you may not have noticed.
Tonometry
Tonometry involves using a device called a tonometer to measure the pressure inside your eye. Elevated eye pressure is often an indicator of glaucoma.
Dilated Retinal Exam
Pupil dilation allows your eye doctor to examine the intricate structures of the eye, like the retina and optic nerve, for signs of diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, or glaucoma.
How Often Should I Attend Eye Exams?
The frequency of your eye exams will likely depend on factors like age, medical history, family medical history, and other risk factors that may increase your risk of eye conditions. You may require more frequent eye exams if you:
Your eye doctor at Eyes of the Southwest will review your risk factors to determine an eye exam schedule for you. By keeping up with your eye exams, you can detect progressive eye conditions early and prevent significant vision loss from occurring.
Do you remember when you had your last eye exam? Schedule an appointment at Eyes of the Southwest in Las Cruces, NM, today!