Routine eye exams include color vision, refraction, visual acuity, and visual field tests to identify vision problems early. Color vision tests use materials to test color vision, while refractive tests require eye dilation and lens testing. Visual acuity tests involve reading letters or identifying shapes, and visual field tests check peripheral vision.
Common vision tests include color vision tests, refraction tests, visual acuity tests, and visual field tests. All of these tests may be administered during a routine eye exam, and some are performed during a regular doctor’s visit to check for vision changes in a patient, determining whether a referral to an eye specialist is necessary. These tests are repeated regularly with the aim of identifying vision problems early so they can be treated before complications develop.
In color vision tests, patients are presented with materials intended to test their color vision. This can be done for a variety of reasons, ranging from concerns about the inheritance of vision defects to concerns about changes to the optic nerve that could interfere with color vision. A common example is a set of cards covered in dots of various colors. Numbers and letters are embedded in the dots and will be visible or invisible, depending on someone’s color vision ability.
Refractive tests require dilating the eyes, using eye drops. The doctor will look into the eyes with bright light to see how the light behaves inside the eye, and the patient will also be asked to look through a set of lenses to determine if vision correction is needed and to see what level of correction is required. After this test, the patient will need to wear protective eyewear before going outside, as there is a risk of eye damage from bright light when the pupils are dilated.
Visual acuity tests involve seeing how well people can distinguish objects such as letters or numbers at various distances. The classic form is the eye diagram on the wall, where people are asked to read the diagram and the last letters readable by the patient are noted. People who can’t read may have visual acuity tests that involve identifying shapes and objects on a graph or chart, allowing doctors to diagnose vision problems in young children. Other vision tests for acuity include options such as the Amsler grid used to check for macular degeneration.
In visual field tests, the goal is to see how much peripheral vision is available to the patient. Doctors can perform this test by simply standing in front of the patient and moving a target such as a finger from left to right. The patient signals when the finger is no longer visible and the doctor can note where it left the patient’s field of vision. Changes in peripheral vision identified during vision testing may be a sign of damage to the eye or surrounding structures.
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