Florida Eye Specialists

You may have had an eye exam many, many times. While an annual eye exam is one of the most important things you can do for yourself, you never know when you may have an eye problem that can be solved by the Florida eye specialists at Elmquist Eye Group. Let’s explore some of the tests you might need.

What is retinoscopy?

Our eye doctor may use a technique called retinoscopy to determine your eyeglass prescription. In dim light, the doctor will ask you to read the letters on the eye chart. Next, the doctor will flip lenses in front of your eye to determine the exact lens power for both your distance and near vision. The doctor determines the way the light reflects from your eye to estimate the lens power you will need to correct your vision.

What is refraction?

Refraction is another test the doctor will use to determine the exact prescription you will need to correct your vision.  A hand-held instrument called a phoropter is used to show a variety of lens choices. You will choose between two lenses, determining which one is clearer. This is a fine tuning that our doctor will use to determine the precise lens power needed. Refraction determines the amount of both nearsightedness and farsightedness, as well as any astigmatism you may have.

Rather than using the manual phoropter, the doctor may automatically determine refraction using an instrument called an autorefractor, otherwise known as an aberrometer. Sometimes, these more automated instruments can identify subtler vision errors because the instruments measure how light waves move through the retina in the eye. To use this instrument, you will rest your chin in the device and stabilize your head against a headrest to automatically estimate your eyeglass prescription. 

What is a slit lamp test?

Our doctor may use a slit lamp test to examine the front of your eye. Think of the slit lamp as a microscope combined with binoculars; the instrument’s high magnification is used to examine the structures inside the eye — the iris, lens, optic nerve, retina and cornea. Doctors can detect a wide range of eye diseases with a slit lamp exam, including cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

What is the air puff test for?

While the air puff test may not be everyone’s favorite test, it is important for detecting glaucoma. The official name for the air puff test is non-contact tonometry (NCT), which tests for the pressure inside the eye called intraocular pressure. The instrument never touches the eye, and the test is completely painless.

Glaucoma screening is very important because the disease has no symptoms and most patients don’t even notice it until vision loss is substantial.

Do I really need to have my eyes dilated?

Eye dilation is a very important part of the overall comprehensive eye exam because it allows our doctors to better see the eye’s internal structures. Dilation may last a few hours, and you may experience light sensitivity.

Trust Elmquist for your eye exam

Regardless of which tests we use for your eye exam, our doctors at Elmquist are trusted Florida eye specialists. We will do a thorough and comprehensive exam to assess your eye health, so give us a call today to make that all-important appointment.