​Eye Exams in Orange County, CA

Regular eye exams are important to detect problems with your eye health that you may not be aware of, such as glaucoma, cataracts, or nearsightedness. Having regular eye exams is important for early diagnosis and treatment. Adults with healthy eyes should have an eye exam about every 1 to 4 years depending on your age. Your eye doctor or eye surgeon is the best person to help you understand what is the appropriate frequency of eye examinations to meet your individual vision care needs. Of course, you will need to see the ophthalmologist more often if you have a specific eye concern or problem.
 
A comprehensive eye exam includes a review of your pertinent medical history, eye testing to test your visual acuity, tests to determine the health of your eyes, examination of your eye- brain connections, examination of the eyes to identify any refractive errors if present. Refractive errors include nearsightedness or myopia, farsightedness or hyperopia, astigmatism or other eye problems. A complete eye exam also includes measuring the eye pressure to test for glaucoma, as well as examination for any eye disease. A comprehensive routine eye examination includes examination of the outside parts of the eyes such as the eyelids the eyelashes, tear drainage and tear ducts, eye moisture and testing for dry eyes or dry eye syndrome, in addition to examination of the internal parts of the eyes, including the arteries and veins, the optic nerve, the retina, the cornea, the iris, the pupil, and the lens.
 
Further testing may be required depending on the results of your initial examination, and will always be made available to you at Athena eyecare if needed or indicated.
 
During your eye exam you may be given eyedrops that dilate the pupil of the eye. Your eye doctor will then be able to examine better the structures of the back of the eye and measure the eyes for a glasses prescription. Testing for a glasses prescription is called refraction. The dilated examination may cause some loss of close up, near vision, or reading vision, for a short period of time lasting a few hours and may also make your eyes more sensitive to bright light or sunlight. If you are a new patient or you are scheduled for a dilated eye exam, please feel free to bring a driver with you for your visit.