The eye exam, or ophthalmological exam, is to evaluate visual ability and, although it can be done at home, should always be done by an ophthalmologist, since only he can make a correct diagnosis and evaluate the health of the eyes.
There are several types of eye exam, however, the most common is the examination to assess the ability to see from near and far and should be done at least once a year from the age of 40, even if you already wear glasses, because the degree of the glasses may have changed, needing to be increased or decreased depending on the case.
It is recommended to do this type of exam whenever there are symptoms of difficulty seeing, such as frequent headache or red eyes, for example. See a more complete list of symptoms that may indicate vision problems.
How to take the eye exam at home
To take the eye examination at home just follow the following instructions:
- Stand at the distance from the monitor indicated in the table below;
- Look at the picture and tape the left eye with your left hand, without pressing. If you wear glasses or lenses, do not take them out for testing;
- Try to read the letters in the image from top to bottom;
- Repeat the process for the right eye.
The recommended monitor distance for this test is:
| Display Type: | Distance: |
| 14 inch monitor | 5.5 meters |
| 15 inch monitor | 6 meters |
If you can read to the last line with both eyes the visual capacity is 100%, but if you can not read to the last line with both eyes, it may be necessary to correct the vision. For this, it is recommended to consult an ophthalmologist to confirm the degree of vision and make the necessary correction.
What is the price of the professional exam?
The price of eye examination can vary from 80 to 300 reais, depending on the type of eye exam indicated by the doctor and the office where it is done.
Main types of eye exam
This type of examination can be divided into several types, according to the problem you are trying to identify. The main ones include:
- Snellen test : also known as acuity, refraction, or degree measurement, is the most common vision test, and serves to assess how much the person sees, having to observe the letters of a scale, evaluating the presence of myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism;
- Ishihara test : This test evaluates the perception of colors and is used to diagnose color blindness, and try to identify which number you can see in the center of the image, surrounded by colors;
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OCT View Test : Optical coherence tomography is an examination done on a machine and is used in the diagnosis of corneal, retinal, vitreous, and optic nerve diseases.
These tests are important to evaluate the need to use glasses, contact lenses or, in more serious cases, to have a surgery to recover the sight.
When to go to the doctor
It is advised to make an appointment with your ophthalmologist when:
- Symptoms such as double vision, tired sight, spotting in vision or red eye appear;
- He feels a shadow in his eye and does not see a sharp image;
- He sees a white stain around the lights of the lamps;
- It presents difficulty in distinguishing colors from objects.
In addition, you should go to the emergency room when you drop liquid in your eyes, such as a detergent or have a red eyelid in the eye, itching, pain and pricking sensation.
