Eye testing at Castle Hill Family Optometrist

 We assess your natural vision and whether there is any need for glasses or contact lenses.  Not all vision problems require glasses and can sometimes be managed with environmental modifications. 

 Your ocular surface is carefully examined in the order of lids, lashes, cornea, conjunctiva, anterior chamber, iris and crystalline lens. We look for any sun damage or changes such as pterygium (surfer's eye), cataracts, dry eye, skin cancers, inflammation or infection.

Then your posterior eye is examined with a bright light, allowing us to view your macula, optic nerve, retinal blood vessels and peripheral retina. Here we check for glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease or hypertensive eye disease.

 We take a digital fingerprint of your eye as a starting point to meticulously determine which prescription gives you the clearest and most comfortable vision. In children we sometimes need to instill eye drops which relax their eye muscles in order to obtain an accurate prescription.

 You are given the opportunity to trial your prescription in a mock frame so that you can make sure it feels clear and comfortable. This is a crucial step which is sometimes skipped in busy corporate optometry clinics. 

We take scans of your macula, optic nerve and retina to aid in diagnosis and comparison for the future. Some eye conditions are extremely subtle and slow to show up, so the best way to diagnose them is by comparing scans over the years. That is why it is important to find an optometrist that you trust and stick with them over time. In some cases, eye drops may need to be instilled to dilate your pupils in order to obtain a better with of the retina (people with diabetes or small pupils).

If there are any suspicious or notable features on your ocular surface, we will also take scans of these.

 We use a gentle puff method to take your eye pressure that does not need any numbing drops or probes. This is an important test to screen for glaucoma. Based on your results so far, you may also be asked to do a computerised glaucoma test known as a Visual Field. 

OCT, short for Optical Coherence Tomography, is a non-invasive imaging technique that uses light waves to create detailed, cross-sectional images of the eye, particularly the retina. Tomography of the macula and optic nerve is conducted to screen or diagnose macular degeneration and glaucoma 

 Your optometrist will summarise their findings and answer all of your questions. If needed, we can provide a report which contains your prescription, significant findings and retinal scans to forward to your GP or specialist. We can also provide a referral to an ophthalmologist if there are any other concerns.

If you end up needing glasses or contact lenses, we will assist you in finding the perfect solution.

This involves finding a solution that matches your health and lifestyle needs.