What Happens in an Eye Exam

Before your visit

• Bring your current glasses, contact lenses (or the box), a list of medications, and your insurance card
• If you’re new, you’ll fill out a history form: eye problems, general health and family history (glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetes)
• Wear contacts in unless you’ve been told otherwise; we’ll check them on your eyes
• Bring sunglasses if you might be dilated

More in planning your visit and insurance.

Step by step

1. History and symptoms. What you’ve noticed, how you use your eyes (screens, driving, sports, reading), medications and family history. This shapes everything that follows.
2. Pre-testing. Our Marco OPD-3 maps the shape of your cornea (topography) and measures how your eye focuses light (wavefront). It gives a starting point for your prescription and flags astigmatism or irregular corneas.
3. Eye pressure. An iCare tonometer measures pressure with a light, quick touch: no air puff and usually no numbing drops. High pressure is a key risk factor for glaucoma.
4. Visual acuity. How clearly each eye sees at distance and near, on digital acuity charts.
5. Refraction. “Which is better, one or two?” on an automated Marco phoropter. Automated phoropters switch lenses quickly and precisely, so comparisons are easier and the final prescription is more exact.
6. Eye teaming, focusing and pupils. Cover tests, eye movements, near point and pupil reactions. These matter for headaches, reading comfort and neurological health.
7. Visual fields, a check of your side vision, when indicated.
8. Slit lamp exam. A magnified look at the eyelids, tear film, cornea, iris and lens on LED Marco slit lamps. With SLEYECAM, we can photograph or record what the doctor sees and show it to you on screen, then compare at future visits.
9. Retina and optic nerve. With dilation, Optomap, or both (below).
10. Results in plain language. The doctor explains your prescription, eye health and any next steps, and answers questions.

Dilation and Optomap imaging

Extra testing when you need it

• Dry eye evaluation: at East Lake, meibography images your oil glands, along with tear meniscus height and tear breakup time. See dry eye treatment.
• Contact lens fitting: measurements, trial lenses and a follow-up. See contact lenses.
• Specialty lens fitting for keratoconus: detailed corneal topography. See keratoconus and scleral lenses.
• Medical visits for red eyes, infections and injuries, often the same day. See medical eye care.
• Driver license vision forms. See driver license vision test.

After the exam

If you need glasses, our opticians help you choose frames and lenses right there. At Odessa, most single-vision glasses are made the same day in our lab. See same-day glasses. Your prescription is yours, and we’re glad to give you a copy.

For kids

Children’s exams use pictures, lights and games, so no letters are needed, and we see kids from age 1. Dilating drops are common for children because their focusing is so strong. See pediatric eye care.