We all recognize when things break down, things like vacuum cleaners and automobiles and home furnaces. To fix these things, we need to look inside to see if the problem is belt, water hose, or fan limiter switch. You have to get inside to find the problem—you get the idea. The same is true for our bodies. Technology has brought us MRIs and CTs and various scanning technologies to see what is going on, but sometimes we just need a closer look.
Examining Eye Function
In the case of the eye, we can look at how it works—its efficiency for getting visual information. This is called the “visual acuity test” and relates specifically to developing the refraction used for glasses. The “visual field test” is closely related in the sense that it defines how wide the field is in which that visual acuity is working. These two factors are key to getting the right glasses. But what about the cause of poor vision?
Examining Eye Problems
Vision is not a problem until it is degraded by age, accident affecting structures within the eye, or disease process. Here’s where we do the equivalent of opening up that vacuum cleaner, popping the hood on that car, or looking under the cover of that furnace. Eyes can be observed directly, but to look deeply into the organ, the eye needs to be opened up so the ophthalmologist or optometrist can see the workings of that eye directly.
“The hood is popped” using drops which cause the pupil of the eye to widen (“dilate”), allowing the back of the eye (the “retina” and “optic nerve”) to be readily visualized. This visualization allows the “eye doc” to see if there are diabetic effects on the blood flow to the sensory cells in the retina or if cells have been destroyed through disease processes like macular degeneration. Even nerve damage related to glaucoma can be visually observed.
The Fix
“SOAP Notes” describe the overall process of evaluation and how specific recommendations result. Essentially a patient describes a problem, the problem is observed, it is measured or assessed, and a plan is developed. You can see how this works with vision problems. There is no way to get to the plan for fixing the problem without that examination process.
A “Comprehensive Dilated Exam” from Optometrists Clinic Inc. is part of this process of determining how to improve vision and manage underlying problems relating to disease or aging. Normally this kind of exam is reserved for those in their more advanced years but it’s not unheard of to have a young patient come in and ask for an eye exam of this magnitude. Making sure your eyes and sight stay in good working order your whole life should be of interest to all of us. Thus making eye exams of this nature not only important but essential.
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