What To Expect At An Eye Doctor Appointment

If you're going to the eye doctor for the first time

, you may wonder what to expect. Perhaps your vision has been blurry lately and you'd like to check into corrective lenses. Maybe you've made an appointment just to make sure your eyes are healthy. There are various kinds of docs including opticians, optometrists, and ophthalmologists.

An optometrist has had 4 years of post-graduate optometry school and is also referred to by the initials O.D. He or she is the practitioner you'll see initially and will perform a series of screenings to examine how your iris, retina, and optic nerve are functioning. A patient will be checked for peripheral, nearsighted and farsighted vision, for stigmatism, and other issues. Practitioners may dilate patients' eyes, which entails dropping medication into eyes to open up pupils for examination. Air will be blown onto the surface of each eyeball in order to check for evidence of disease. If dilation is performed, you will be given protective eyewear for your ride home, since the procedure makes pupils light sensitive. If your vision is fine and disease-free, you'll be given a clean bill of health. If this is the case, you won't need further screening for another year. If your vision needs correction, you'll need to see the optician. If diseases are present, you'll need to see an ophthalmologist.

An optician is the eye doctor who dispenses eyeglasses or contact lenses. He or she does not write the prescription for the corrective lenses, but rather fills the prescription written by the O.D. An optician is similar to a pharmacist and the O.D. similar to a family doctor. This part of your appointment is fun because you get to try on an assortment of frames for new glasses. There are hundreds of possibilities to fit every size face and preference. Many frames are gender specific, although some styles are appropriate for either men or women. There are also sizes and styles specifically designed for children. If a patient opts for contact lenses, he or she will need to be fitted for them and trained in how to insert and care for them. Contacts come in disposable, soft, or hard lenses.

If disease is evident, a trip to the ophthalmologist will be in order. An ophthalmologist is an eye doctor who is also a physician. This practitioner specializes in diagnostics, surgeries, and treatments that are beyond the scope of an O.D. A visit to this physician won't be the norm for most patients but rather for those diagnosed with glaucoma, cataracts, detached retinas, or other maladies.

For individuals who learn from the eye doctor that they need corrective lenses, they are in for a surprising treat when they pick up their new glasses or contacts. Patients who've never been prescribed and fitted with glasses before were living in a blurry world. Their surprise will come when they view the world through corrective lenses. Suddenly everything will come into sharper focus and tiny details previously unnoticed will become visible.

by: Aloysius Aucoin

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