At Eyeglass House our New York State licensed optometrists provide comprehensive eye examinations and contact lens fittings.  They can also prescribe medication for treatment of ocular diseases and infections, as well as remove most foriegn bodies from the eye. Listed below are many of the procedures that are performed during an eye examination.

Refraction. A refraction test helps determine the extent of a patient's refractive error (nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism), as well as the proper prescription for glasses and contact lenses.

EOM (extra-ocular muscle) Evaluation. The muscles that move your eyes are controlled by nerves that travel through your brain. Any problems with eye movement may be due to deeper neural problems or systemic disease. This test can sometimes find even strokes and brain tumors.

Pupil Reaction Check. A simple test of the way the pupil behaves to light gives a lot of clues to the function of the eye as a whole, and may be used to discover glaucoma, retinal tears, inflammation behind the eye, and even problems in the brain.

Tear Film Evaluation. The tear film covering the surface of the eye is actually a complex system. A basic evaluation of the health and integrity of this surface will help to diagnose corneal conditions such as dry eye.

Basic Eye Allergy Evaluation. Many people suffer from seasonal allergies that can be remedied with medical treatment. A basic allergy check will allow us to find the right course of treatment to relieve chronic redness, tearing, and itching.

Eye Alignment Assessment. Checking whether one eye or both eyes tend to drift in and out may not be as obvious as a strabismus, or a lazy eye. A slight tendency of the eyes drifting out of alignment can cause headaches, eyestrain, double vision, or difficulty reading or using the computer.

Slit Lamp Biomicroscopy. This allows a general assessment of the outside structures of the eyes, and allows us to find corneal conditions such as keratoconus, eye injuries, mild infections, or problems of the inner structures of the eyes, like cataracts.

Dry Eye/Allergy Screening. Many people suffer from chronic dry eye or allergic conjunctivitis and attribute the symptoms of blurry or fluctuating vision, redness, blur, pain, itching, and tearing to other conditions. These problems are not always simple to treat, but therapies are constantly improving, and we have methods available now for treating both.

Systemic Disease Consultation. Through different parts of the exam, we are able to see if any systemic conditions that you are being treated for may be causing problems in the eyes, such as dry eye or retinal damage. We will review your list of medications to determine if there are any ocular or visual side effects, and treat those side effects, if necessary. We also may be able to uncover problems like diabetes and elevated cholesterol that were not previously diagnosed. We will work with your primary care physician to properly manage the eye condition and the systemic condition that it is linked to.

Intraocular Pressure. This is the classic sign of glaucoma: high pressure inside the eye. New research has found that this is no longer the only way to detect glaucoma, and that glaucoma may be present even with low eye pressure.
 

• An initial screening for early signs of glaucoma will let us determine if it is necessary to conduct further testing, and possibly treatment for glaucoma.
   
• Glaucoma is a very subtle disease that has no noticeable symptoms until later stages of the disease. It causes you to slowly lose vision beginning from the outside in.
   
• Once you notice changes in your vision, it is too late.
   
• Once vision is lost from glaucoma, it cannot be restored. With new technology, we are able to see early signs of glaucoma before any vision is lost.

Optic Nerve Head Evaluation. The optic nerve is where the eye connects to the brain. In an eye with glaucoma, the optic nerve takes on a certain shape as damage is done to the nerve tissue inside the eye.

Dilated Retinal Exam(if necessary) Dilating the pupil allows us to see much more of the retina; it opens up a larger window to see the inside of the eye. There are many conditions of the retina, such as retina tears and detachments, which can only be seen through a dilated pupil. The retinal exam is important to detect and treat conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and retinal tears and detachments.