Comprehensive exams of vision involve far more than figuring out how far your eyes stray from the 20/20 standard. An excellent exam can help avert the development of serious vision problems and identify infections that might otherwise be ignored and become dangerous.
Eye Exams in Central New Jersey
We provide comprehensive primary eye care for patients of all ages.
Exams from Neal Braff O.D. and our team begin with questions about basic health issues that may affect vision. This includes asking about chronic health problems and any difficulties you may be experiencing at home or work, including blurry vision and eye infections.
Dr. Braff considers all this information while testing acuity of close and far vision, functionality, eye health, and visual field problems.
Acuity & Dilation
Prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses are based on acuity — your measurements for far and near vision. Testing usually involves eye dilation of the pupils with drops, which gives the optometrist a clearer view of internal eye structures.
Dilation is particularly important for patients with eye disease risk factors. One of these is diabetes, which can harm blood vessels in the retina. Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy include blurring, changes in color perception, spots (floaters) drifting across vision and, ultimately, loss of vision.
Functionality & Eye Health
Sometimes underlying conditions affect the ability of eyes to function properly. Comprehensive exams check a variety of abilities including color vision, depth perception, central and peripheral vision, muscle coordination problems such as misalignments and responsiveness to light.
For example, patients who have clear peripheral vision yet increasing difficulty with reading or depth perception may be developing a central vision problem called macular degeneration.
Cataracts — filmy growths on the outside of an eye’s lens — are another common cause of depth perception loss in adulthood. In children, the muscle coordination problems of strabismus (crossed eyes) or amblyopia (lazy eye) affect depth perception. Correcting treatments are available for these conditions.
Poor responsiveness to light flashed in the eyes is one kind of test for glaucoma, which is caused by an imbalance in pressure on the ocular nerves. Without intervention, glaucoma leads to blindness.
Writing off eye itchiness and swelling as being due to allergies or a condition that will go away without medication is unwise. Eye infections, including conjunctivitis (pink eye), require medical intervention to prevent harm to vision.
Visual Field Testing
Sometimes more extensive testing is necessary to detect the range of sensitivity of a patient’s vision. Visual field testing determines the degree of damage caused by eye health problems. Advanced tests can identify blind spots (scotomas) and other visual field problems.
The size and shape of specific scotomas help identify conditions and diseases causing them, such as glaucoma or a tumor.
Old Bridge Optometrist
For eye concerns from primary exams to advanced testing, contact us! Neal Braff O.D. is prepared to help you. We’re a full-service eye and vision care office, open for exams Monday through Saturday.