Comprehensive Eye Care & Eye Exams
The Eye Clinic is Southwest Louisiana’s leading provider of comprehensive eye care, with five locations, 13 providers, and a history of providing visionary care for over 50 years.
Since the day we were founded in 1959, our goal has been to deliver excellence in eye care for patients of all ages by combining medical expertise and advanced technology with a commitment to personal attention and customer service.
A vital part of our clinic providing you with exceptional eye care is you, our patient, knowing when to come and see one of our board-certified eye health professionals. Many eye and vision problems can present with no obvious signs or symptoms. Therefore, preventative care is key to preventing vision loss. Examine the information below, taken from the American Optometric Association, and give us a call to schedule your routine care.
What is a Comprehensive Eye Exam?
Each patient’s signs and symptoms, as well as your physician’s professional judgment, will determine what your comprehensive eye exam consist of. Here are some of the most common procedures your exam may include.
Patient History
As seen in the “Defining at Risk” sections, personal and family medical history has a lot to do with your provider’s assessment of your eye health. More than likely, your provider will ask you about any eye or vision problems you’ve been experiencing, the severity of those problems and when they began. In addition, your provider will ask a series of questions to evaluate any work-related or environmental conditions that may be affecting your eye health. You should also be prepared to discuss any overall health issues inflicting you and your immediate family members.
Visual Acuity
This is where the well-known chart comes into play. Visual acuity simply means that your provider is going to measure how clearly you can see out of each eye. The results of your visual acuity test will be written as a fraction. The top number of the fraction is the distance at which you will read the chart, 20 feet. The bottom number indicates the smallest letter size you were able to read. For example, a person with 20/40 vision would have to get within 20 feet of a letter than should be seen clearly at 20 feet. Perfect visual acuity is 20/20.
Preliminary Tests
Your provider may want to take a look at specific aspects of your visual function. This can include evaluations of depth perception, color vision, eye muscle movements, peripheral vision and the way your pupils respond to light. Don’t worry, all of these little tests are very important pieces to the eye-health puzzle your provider is trying to piece together perfectly.
Keratometry
This test measures the curvature of the cornea, the clear outer surface of your eye, by focusing a circle of light on the cornea and measuring its reflection. This measurement is particularly important in determining the proper fit for contact lenses.
Refraction
Refraction determines the lens power you'll need, if any, to compensate for any nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Using an instrument called a phoropter, which look like a really complicated pair of spectacles, your provider will place a series of lenses in front of your eyes and ask you to decide which of each pair gives you the clearest vision.
These are a few of the routine tests an eye health provider may perform in order to complete the picture of your visual acuity and determine the appropriate course of treatment. Additional tests may be conducted if your provider needs to confirm or rule out possible problems, clarify uncertain findings or provide a more in-depth assessment.
Defining at Risk in Pediatric Patients
Children considered to be at risk for eye and vision problems may need additional testing or more frequent evaluation to prevent, diagnose and treat potential visual impairments. Pediatric patients at risk include those:
- Who were born premature, experienced low birth weight, experienced low oxygen at birth or who had a grade III or IV intraventricular hemorrhage
- Who has a family history of retinoblastoma, congenital cataracts, metabolic disease or genetic disease
- Whose mother experienced infection during pregnancy (e.g. rubella, toxoplasmosis, venereal disease, herpes, cytomegalovirus or AIDS)
- Whose mother experienced difficult or assisted labor, which may be associated with fetal distress or low Apgar scores
- With high refractive error
- With Strabismus (crossed eyes)
- With Anisometropia (lazy eye)
- With known or suspected central nervous system dysfunction evidenced by developmental delay, cerebral palsy, dysmorphic features, seizures or hydrocephalus
Contact Us