Vision Exam

Testing for More Than 20/20

20/20 just means that the person can clearly see a certain letter on the standard eye chart (equivalent to what a person with normal clarity of eyesight can see at 20 feet). There's so much more to healthy vision than 20/20!

Our comprehensive vision exam goes beyond 20/20 to evaluate many important visual skills, such as:

• Visual Acuity at Near
  Is vision clear and single at close distances? Clear eyesight at short distances is critical for reading, writing, close work, computer use, and more.

• Eye Teaming Skills
  Do the two eyes aim, move, and work as a coordinated team? Weaknesses in binocular (two-eyed) vision and eye teaming skills can cause numerous difficulties, including convergence insufficiency and poor depth perception.

• Eye Focusing Skills
  Do the eyes maintain clear eyesight at varying distances? Rapid, automatic eye focusing adjustment is critical for learning, reading, writing, sports, etc. Deficiencies can cause visual fatigue, reduced reading comprehension, and/or avoidance of close work or other activities.

• Eye Movement Skills
  Do eye movements show adequate muscle control, eye tracking, fixation, etc.? In the classroom, normal eye movements allow rapid and accurate shifting of the eyes along a line of print or from book to desk to board, etc. In sports, efficient eye movements contribute to eye-hand coordination, visual reaction time, and accurate tracking.
• Reversal Frequency
  Is confusion or reversal of letters or words (b, d; p, q; saw, was; etc.) within the normal ranges for a given age? Past the age of seven, frequent visual and written reversals might indicate a visual perceptual dysfunction.

The above are just a few of the many visual skills evaluated during our comprehensive vision exam for patients of all ages. We co-manage with primary eye care doctors. We do not have an optical department and recommend that your eyewear and contact lenses be purchased from your primary eye care doctor. In addition, the health of your eyes, inside and out, is carefully evaluated in order to address eye health problems such as cataracts, glaucoma, hypertension, diabetes, etc.

Vision Exams for Children

The American Optometric Association recommends that pre-school children receive a complete vision exam at the ages of six months, three years, and five years. It is particularly important that a child have a complete evaluation in the summer prior to entry into kindergarten. While in school, yearly evaluations are recommended.

Vision Exams for Adults

The American Optometric Association recommends a yearly eye exam for adults—not only to detect and to diagnose vision changes or problems—but also to maintain eye health. For example, glaucoma, a disease caused by increased pressure in the eye, commonly goes unnoticed by adults. Regular vision examinations are also important for the prevention of vision problems created or aggravated by today's academic and professional demands.