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Applanation Tonometry
Using a slit-lamp equipped with forehead and chin supports and a tiny, flat-tipped cone that gently comes into contact with your cornea, an eye doctor may perform an applanation tonometry. The purpose is to determine the amount of force that is needed to temporarily flatten a patient’s cornea. This measurement of how much pressure is inside the eye, allows a doctor to determine whether or not the patient is at risk for glaucoma (a group of eye diseases in which fluid buildup within the eye can damage the optic nerve, which can cause permanent blindness). A pressure reading exceeding 20 mmHg may indicate that the patient has glaucoma, but not always. If the diagnosis is correct, the doctor will then discuss further treatment options.

Indirect Ophthalmoscopy
With this test, a doctor must hold open a patient’s eyelids and use a head-mounted instrument to shine a bright light through a large lens and into the eye. This allows for a look at the back of the eye, which includes the retina, optic disc, and blood vessels. The examination results will tell the doctor of any eye diseases or conditions that affect the blood vessels (diabetes, glaucoma, etc.) that a patient may be suffering from. Since there are small risks that come with having an indirect ophthalmoscopy performed, the test is usually only done when a patient has a condition that affects the blood vessels.

What You Need To Know About An Eye Exam

involves a series of tests designed to evaluate your vision and check for eye diseases

Jenna Jones

Nikita Gupta

Types of Eye Exams

Visual Acuity Test
This exam determines how well you can see the details of a word or symbol from a specific distance away by using a Snellen chart. Visual acuity (the ability to discern the shapes and details of the things you see) is fairly simple and therefore, it can be carried out by a number of different professionals from an optometrist to a nurse. The purpose is to assess if a patient is experiencing a vision problem or if their vision has changed since their last exam. Young children are frequently given these tests because early testing and detection can prevent vision problems from worsening.

Refraction Assessment
A part of most routine eye exams, this test tells a doctor if his patients are experiencing any refractive errors (if their vision is anything less than 20/20) by having them look through a mask-like device that contains wheels with different lenses of different strengths to help judge which combination gives the sharpest vision. In this case, a doctor will then know which type of prescription is needed for the patient’s glasses or contact lenses for proper vision. These test results can also help to diagnose a multitude of detrimental eye conditions.

Slit-Lamp Examination
Biomicroscopy tests, or slit-lamp exams, are usually performed by an ophthalmologist with every check-up. A microscope called a slit lamp is used to examine all parts of the eye (eyelids, conjunctiva, iris, lens, sclera, retina, cornea, and optic nerve) by focusing a narrow line of light on it, which then provides a magnified, 3-D view, allowing the doctor to detect any small abnormalities. This thorough procedure is used, because diseases of the eye can be particularly difficult to diagnose. Abnormal results mean that a variety of different conditions could be present, causing further testing for a more definitive diagnosis.