Comprehensive Eye Exams in Fresno

A comprehensive eye exam is much more than reading letters off a chart. It checks how well you see and whether you need glasses or contacts, and it looks at the health of your whole eye, inside and out. Many serious eye diseases, including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration, cause no symptoms in their early stages, when treatment does the most good. An exam is how they're found.

Our exams include visual acuity testing, refraction, tonometry (glaucoma screening), a dilated eye exam, OCT imaging and personalized recommendations, for patients of all ages.

What happens during your exam

1. Your history. We ask about your vision, any symptoms, your health and medicines, and eye problems in your family.
2. Vision testing. We measure how clearly you see far away and up close, with and without your glasses or contacts.
3. Refraction. The "which is better, one or two?" test, which fine-tunes your prescription.
4. Eye alignment, focusing and pupils. We check how your eyes work together, and how your pupils respond to light.
5. Eye pressure. A quick, painless measurement that screens for glaucoma.
6. The front of the eye. With a microscope called a slit lamp, the doctor examines your eyelids, cornea, iris and lens, looking for dry eye, cataracts and other conditions.
7. The back of the eye. Dilating drops widen your pupils so the doctor can see your retina, optic nerve and blood vessels clearly.
8. Imaging and other tests, when needed: OCT scans of the retina and optic nerve, photographs of the retina, visual field testing, corneal mapping or color vision testing.
9. Your results. Your doctor explains what they found, gives you any new prescription, and recommends treatment or follow-up if you need it.

Most exams take about an hour. Dilation and extra tests can add time. How long an eye exam takes.

What an eye exam can find

• nearsightedness and farsightedness, and astigmatism
• glaucoma
• cataracts
• diabetic retinopathy
• macular degeneration
• retinal tears and detachment
• dry eye and blepharitis
• keratoconus and other diseases of the cornea
• lazy eye and eye misalignment in children

The blood vessels and nerves at the back of the eye can also show signs of conditions elsewhere in the body, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, sometimes before they've been diagnosed.

Diabetic eye exams

If you have diabetes, you need a dilated eye exam at least once a year, even if your vision seems fine. Diabetic retinopathy damages the small blood vessels in the retina, and it often has no symptoms until it's advanced. Found early, it can be treated before it threatens your sight. Protecting your vision when you have diabetes.

Retina checks

The dilated part of your exam is how your doctor checks the retina, the light-sensing layer at the back of the eye, for diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, tears and other problems.

Call us right away at (559) 449-5050 if you notice a sudden shower of new floaters, flashes of light, or a shadow or curtain moving across your vision. These can be signs of a retinal tear or detachment, which needs urgent treatment. If we're closed, go to the nearest emergency room. Floaters, and when to worry.

How often to have an eye exam

• Children: vision screenings at regular checkups, and a full eye exam if a screening finds a problem or your child shows signs of trouble seeing. Signs your child needs an eye exam.
• Adults with healthy eyes: the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends a baseline exam at 40, when early signs of disease and changes in vision often begin, and an exam every one to two years from 65.
• If you wear glasses or contacts: usually every year, to keep your prescription current.
• More often if you have diabetes, high blood pressure or glaucoma, a family history of eye disease, or if your doctor recommends it.

How often to get an eye exam.

Preparing for your exam

Bring:

• your glasses and contact lenses, or a contact lens box
• a list of the medicines you take
• your insurance cards, both vision and medical
• sunglasses, for the trip home after dilation

Dilation makes your eyes sensitive to light and blurs close-up vision for a few hours, so you may want someone to drive you. How long dilation lasts.

Eye exam questions

Will I see an optometrist or an ophthalmologist?

Both are eye doctors who perform comprehensive eye exams. Optometrists (OD) provide primary eye care: exams, prescriptions, contact lenses, and diagnosing and managing many eye diseases. Ophthalmologists (MD or DO) are medical doctors who also perform eye surgery. Our team has both, so if your exam finds something that needs a specialist or surgery, you stay with us. The difference, explained.

Is a vision screening the same as an eye exam?

No. A screening at school, at the pediatrician's or at the DMV only checks whether you can read the chart. It can miss eye disease and many vision problems.

Does insurance cover eye exams?

Vision plans usually cover a routine eye exam for glasses and contacts. Medical insurance usually covers exams for eye problems and diseases, such as glaucoma, cataracts, diabetes, dry eye or an infection. Our staff can help you find out what your plan covers.

Why are my eyes dilated?

The drops widen your pupils so your doctor can see the whole retina and optic nerve, which is the only way to catch some problems early.