Essential Eye Tests for Maintaining Good Eye Health

Different Eye Tests That Are Important For Maintaining Good Eye Health

Eye Tests

Eye tests are done to assess the well-being of the eyes. This goes beyond the prescription of contact lenses or eyeglasses; it is to check the overall health of the eyes. These tests are very helpful when it comes to detecting serious issues at an early stage, like macular degeneration and cataracts. 

Why are Eye Tests Important?

Regularly testing the eyes can prevent many diseases such as Cataracts, Macular degeneration ,Glaucome and many more. The vision outcomes for these diseases depend on how early they are diagnosed and treated. 

Not only this, eye tests also help in determining if a person needs glasses or contact lens depending on the distance the person is not able to properly see from. It is recommended that one see the doctor if one notices changes in vision and any symptoms relating to the eyes. 

It is strongly advisable for individuals aged above 40 to get their eyes checked every two years. However, it is important that the following individual check their eyes more regularly than the others: those prone to diabetes, those who have a family history of eye diseases, those aged over 65 or those who have high blood pressure.

Types of Eye Tests

Many tests can be done to check the correctness of your vision. These tests are designed in such a way that they can judge different aspects of the eyes, like peripheral vision and visual acuity. Mentioned below are some of the eye tests commonly used,
 

Glaucoma Test
This is a test used to detect developing glaucoma by measuring intraocular pressure. Glaucoma is a condition in which the person might even lose their vision. The common method used is non-contact tonometry. 
 

Visual Field Tests
By asking the individual to identify lights or objects that are in their field of vision, this test checks the peripheral vision.
 

Ophthalmoscopy (Fundoscopy)
Once the pupils are dilated with eye drops, the ophthalmologist shines light into the person's eye to check the retina, blood vessels and optic nerve at the back of the eyes.

Visual Acuity Test
To determine the clarity of a person's vision, the basic eye test or the "Snellen eye chart" test is used, in which the person is instructed to identify the letters on the chart from a distance.

Corneal Topography
To check for the suitability for procedures such as corneal transplant and identify conditions like astigmatism, thousands of images of the cornea are taken and its shape is mapped. 

Slit-Lamp Exam
This test is taken for the purpose of a detailed examination of the iris, lens, cornea, and anterior chamber using a microscope with intense light. It is also often accompanied by fluorescein dye to find irregularities. 

Retinoscopy
While the individual is asked to focus on an object, the eye care provider will examine the eyes by shining light into the eyes using a phoropter. 

Visual Refraction Eye Test
Visual Refraction is an important test to decide whether a person needs vision correction and also the detailed assessment for the corrective lenses, which will provide more sharpness and clarity in the vision. It is done by bending the light waves when they travel through the cornea and lens. 

Color Blindness Test
By instructing the individual to identify the numbers within multicoloured circles, this test examines their ability to distinguish colours. 

Conclusion

Eye tests are really important to identify and treat not only problems related to vision but also many other health conditions. There are various eye tests that can be used to identify these issues depending on the type of issue that one is facing. But it is generally advised that each individual above 40 gets their eye checked every two years once.