Your eyes
Eye Health
Why an eye test is about more than your glasses, and how to read your prescription.
Why an eye test matters
More than a new prescription
An eye test checks how well you see, and it also checks the health of your eyes. Some eye conditions cause no symptoms at first, so a regular eye test is how they are found early.
If your optometrist finds something that needs a closer look, they will refer you to an ophthalmologist. Read what happens at your eye test.
What is checked
What an eye examination includes
Your optometrist performs several tests on your vision and screens your eyes for disorders of the retina and the cornea. The results are explained to you, so that you understand your eye health and any prescription that is recommended.
Eye health examination
An examination of the outside and the inside of your eyes, to look for signs of conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration or cataracts.
Your current prescription
A check that your current glasses still suit the way you live now.
Visual acuity
How sharply and clearly you see at all distances.
Refraction
How well your eyes focus light onto the retina, far away and close up.
Eye pressure
A measurement of the pressure inside your eyes, which is checked for glaucoma.
Eye coordination and focusing
How your eyes work together, how well you control their muscles and how well they change focus.
Understanding your prescription
What the numbers mean
Your prescription lists the vision correction you need for your right and left eyes.
| On your prescription | What it means |
|---|---|
| A plus (+) sign | You are long-sighted, and have trouble seeing things up close. |
| A minus (−) sign | You are short-sighted, and have trouble seeing far away. |
| A bigger number after the sign | A greater vision correction. |
Your lifestyle
Clear, comfortable vision for your day
Your optometrist examines your eyes and talks with you about the visual options that suit the way you live. Think of the different things you ask of your eyes when you are:
There are lenses made for each of these. Find your lens solution.
Thinking about laser eye surgery? Talk to your optometrist about whether it may suit you. They will explain the benefits and the disadvantages of the procedure, and refer you to an ophthalmologist for a further examination.
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