Whether you see an optometrist or an ophthalmologist, most people should get their eyes checked about every two years, according to the aoa . A few tests are evergreen , the trusty chart, which gives a basic idea of what you can see, a refraction test, in which you look through a machine to determine your exact prescription needs, a cover test using a paddle, which reveals how well your eye muscles work together, a test for glaucoma, and a slit lamp examination and retinal exam, which look for diseases inside your eye.
But some 'routine' tests for otherwise healthy patients are probably unnecessary - especially if they re not included in the basic exam fee. A visual field examination in which a machine is used to check side vision, may be one such test , says walter beebe
m.d , a cornea specialist in dallas, it can pick up advanced glaucoma or a brain tumor , he says, but uless symptoms or other signs warrant it, the test is porbably not necessary, another potential overkill fee , photography of the eye, many doctors will encourage it on the first visit, but, beebe says, some want to repeat it every time. It's hard to make a cose for upwards of $100 for everybody who walks through the door, he says
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)