Have you scheduled your annual comprehensive eye exam yet?

A comprehensive eye exam conducted by a doctor of optometry determines the eye and vision health of a patient. During the exam, the doctor checks not only visual acuity through refraction but also the health of your eyes, eye tissue and other diseases. Each patient's symptoms, along with the doctor of optometry’s professional judgment, will determine what tests are conducted.  

An in-person, comprehensive eye exam with a doctor of optometry is the medically recognized standard to assure precise and healthy vision, identify and treat diseases, such as glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness. In addition, eye exams safeguard overall health by enabling the doctor to detect more than 270 serious health conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, autoimmune diseases and cancers. In fact, in 2018 alone, doctors of optometry identified signs of diabetes in more than 301,000 patients who did not know they had the condition. In-person, comprehensive eye exams are one of the most important, preventive ways to preserve vision and overall health.

Current vision screening methods cannot be relied on to effectively identify individuals who need vision care. These types of screenings are offered at schools, pediatrician offices or at the DMV. While they may uncover some vision problems, they can miss more than they find. In some cases, vision screenings can give a false sense of security for those individuals who "pass" the screening and inhibit the early diagnosis of vision problems. These people are then less likely to receive treatment for their vision problem and it could become worse.

A comprehensive eye exam includes a range of tests in order to do a complete evaluation of the health of your eyes and your vision. Not only can your doctor of optometry assess your eye health, they can identify symptoms of conditions elsewhere in the body like brain tumors, aneurysms, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Learn more about the limitations of vision screenings.

What is an Optometrist?

Doctors of optometry (O.D.s/optometrists), America’s primary eye health care providers, are the frontline of eye and vision care. Doctors of optometry are essential health care providers and are recognized as physicians under Medicare. They examine, diagnose, treat and manage diseases and disorders of the eye. In addition to providing eye and vision care, they play a major role in an individual’s overall health and well-being by detecting systemic diseases, and diagnosing, treating and managing ocular manifestations of those diseases, and providing vaccinations.

OPTOMETRISTS ARE TRAINED TO:

• Provide care for patients of all ages starting at birth
• Diagnose systemic conditions through eye exams
• Prescribe oral and topical medication to treat eye diseases
• Perform pre- & post-operative care
• Remove superficial ocular foreign bodies
• Prescribe glasses & contact lenses
• Provide low vision care & vision therapy  

OPTOMETRISTS PROVIDE CARE FOR:

• Age-related macular degeneration
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Vision conditions
• Retinal disorders
• Eye infections
• Glaucoma
• Cataracts
• Eyelid disorders         

AN OPTOMETRIST'S EDUCATION:   

• Four-year undergraduate program - bachelor's degree
• Four-year doctoral program - doctor of optometry (O.D.)
• Internships/Externships during optometric education
• Residencies to specialize in a specific area of practice
• Minimum 40 hours of continuing education bi-annually

Doctors of optometry:

More than 30,000 doctors of optometry nationwide are available to provide high-quality eye health and vision care services. Make your health a priority by scheduling an appointment with a local AOA doctor today!