Eye Exams
The first step to getting you into the right pair of glasses is assessing the condition of your eyes through a simple eye exam. Eyes are very sensitive, and we understand that some may be a bit nervous when participating in eye exams or anything to do with the health of our eyes, but our professional optometrists are licensed, kind, quick, and will help you on your way to getting the perfect eyeglasses in no time!
What is an Eye Exam?
An eye exam (like most other routine health check-ups) is a quick and effective way for an Optometrist (Doctor of Optometry) to determine the health of your eyes. An optometrist will perform several non-intrusive tests to gauge the health and ability of your eyes, including checking for glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration, while also testing for nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatisms, colour perception, depth perception, and your eyes’ ability to focus.
If it is found that you need glasses or contact lenses to see better, your optometrist will use your exam results to write the perfect prescription for you. If there needs to be further testing, they also have the option to send you to a specialist (such as Ophthalmologists, who are doctors and surgeons specializing in eye diseases).
What Can an Eye Exam Tell Me About My Overall Health?
Outside of diagnosing any issues that are directly related to your eyes, eye exams are also able to detect issues with your overall bodily health. Often, if an illness or condition like diabetes is present in your body, it will present itself in the blood vessels in your eyes, so too can certain forms of arthritis, and at times head and brain tissue trauma can affect our ability to see. By having regular eye tests, it’s possible to catch some illnesses in their infancy when they can do the least amount of long-term damage.
When Should I Start Getting Eye Exams?
As vision doesn’t tend to stabilize until the age of twenty, our eyes and their ability to see clearly can do a lot of changing throughout childhood and adolescence; this is why it’s important for both children and adults to have regular eye exams. Impaired vision can impede a child’s ability to succeed in the classroom and can thus affect their overall self-confidence, so it’s very important that youth between the ages of 6 and 19 receive eye exams on an annual basis, preferably at the beginning of each school year.
As for adults aged 20 through 39, an eye exam should be scheduled for every 2-3 years, adults between 40 and 64 should schedule an eye exam every 2 years, and adults over the age of 65 should be scheduling their eye exams annually.
What Happens When I’ve Finished My Eye Exam?
Once your eye exam is complete, the fun part can begin! With the right prescription in hand, you can now browse our huge selection of frames to find the ones that fit best for you! Once selected, you’ll be looking stylish and seeing clearly in no time!
Are you due for an eye exam?
Contact your local Hakim Optical and book one today!
Hakim Optical is proud to serve Canada with over 160 locations. We offer a free one-year frame guarantee, free consultations and free professional cleanings and adjustments.
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