A comprehensive or complete eye exam is a full evaluation of your vision and your eye health. Periodic examinations are important for early diagnosis and treatment of eye and vision problems. Eye exams are important for maintaining good vision and eye health, and when possible, preventing vision loss. Most individuals are often unaware that problems exist because many eye and vision problems have no obvious signs or symptoms. A comprehensive adult eye and vision examination may include patient history, visual acuity, preliminary tests, keratometry, refraction, eye focusing and movement tests, eye health evaluation, and supplemental testing.
This is what you can expect in the process of making your eye exam appointment and visiting our office.
Appointments can be made either by someone in my office or by Houston Eye Associates’ main scheduling department. If you speak to the scheduling department, let the scheduler know that you need to set up an appointment with Dr. Vital and specify your preferred date, weekday, or time.
You can access and download patient registration forms from our website to fill out prior to your visit. Please bring as many of the following items and information with you as possible to allow us to help you better:
What you should bring:
- Current eye glasses (even if broken)
- Current contact lenses, case (and contact peel pack for disposable lenses), as well as the names of your solutions if you have any
- Eye drops that you are currently using or have recently used
- Oral medication names and dosages
- Pharmacy name, phone number, and address
- Referring doctor name, phone number, and address
- Primary care doctor name, phone number, and address
- Insurance cards
The process:
You will first be interviewed and examined by one of my ophthalmic assistants (OAs). This person will record some notes regarding the reason and circumstances of your visit. He or she will also perform some or all of the following: a check of your vision, a check of your intraocular pressure, a check of your glasses prescription, a refraction in order to measure your best possible vision, and an instillation of dilation drops.
You will then be moved to another room to see me. I will review the information collected to that point and again discuss with you the circumstances of your visit. After I perform an exam, I will record my findings, and discuss my impressions and recommended plans with you.
We know that you need to get back to your normal routine with as little disruption as possible, as quickly as possible. Budget approximately one hour and fifteen minutes for a routine dilated eye exam. Keep in mind, dilation can take twenty to thirty minutes of that time. Complex eye problems that need diagnostic testing or special surgical considerations can sometimes require more time.
The healing process is collaborative: I will not force or manipulate you into treatments. However, you share in the responsibility for your improvement by being compliant with the plan of action we agree upon.