You know that regular eye exams are important for your health, but it can be tough to fit appointments into a busy schedule. Our teams at Collingwood Optometry & Cwood Eyecare understand that you might wonder how much time to set aside for your or your family member’s visit.
While every appointment is unique, you can generally expect a comprehensive eye exam to take between 30 minutes and an hour. This includes testing done prior to your visit with the doctor.
What to Expect During Your Exam
An eye exam is more than just reading letters on a chart: It’s a thorough check of your vision and overall eye health. Your appointment can include a few different steps to help our team get a complete picture of how your eyes are doing.
A Chat About Your Health History
Your visit will most likely start with a conversation. Our team may ask about your general health, any medications you take, your family’s health history, and any vision problems you may have noticed. This chat helps them understand your unique needs.
Tests for Vision Clarity and Focus
This is the part of the eye exam you’re probably most familiar with: Reading from an eye chart of letters to check your vision at different distances. The eye doctor can also perform tests to see if you need vision correction and to determine your prescription.
A Look at Your Eye Health
After that, the eye doctor can use special tools to look at the front and back of your eyes. This helps them to check for early signs of common eye conditions.
Factors That Affect Exam Time
Not every eye exam takes the same amount of time. Several factors can make your appointment shorter or longer, so it’s helpful to know what might change the schedule.
- First-time visits: If this is your first time at the clinic, the exam might take a little longer as our team gets a baseline of your eye health.
- Contact lens fittings: If you wear or want to try contact lenses, the appointment includes extra steps to measure your eyes and teach you how to use the lenses properly.
- Specific concerns: If you come in with a specific issue, like dry eye, flashes of light, or persistent headaches, the eye doctor may spend extra time investigating the cause.
The Dilation Question: Can You Drive Home?
In some cases, the eye doctor may need to use special eye drops to dilate your pupils to get a better view of the back of your eye. Dilation is a simple process, but it does have temporary side effects. If your pupils are dilated, you can expect:
- Sensitivity to light.
- Blurry vision, especially for reading.
These effects usually last for a few hours, though for some, it can be longer. Because of this, some people arrange for a ride home after their appointment. We recommend bringing sunglasses to keep your eyes comfortable.
How You Can Prepare for Your Appointment
A little preparation helps the team get all the information they need to care for your eyes. Bringing your current glasses and having a few things ready can help the eye exam go as smoothly as possible:
- Your current eyeglasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses.
- A list of any medications or supplements you take regularly.
- Any questions you have about your vision or eye health.
Find the Right Care for Your Eyes
An eye exam is a straightforward process that gives you valuable insight into your health. By working with experienced eye doctors in Collingwood, you can get personalized care that fits your lifestyle. If you’re ready to take the next step toward clear and healthy vision, you can schedule your exam with our team today.
