Eye Tests and OCT Eye Scans Explained

An eye health check within an eye exam is similar to an MOT for a car, as it serves as a useful gauge for the healthy functioning of your eyes. They allow you to keep on top of any potential issues and help nip them in the bud. We’re going to shed some light on what our eye exams involve and why also having regular advanced retinal OCT eye scans are so important too.

Keep it routine

Regular eye exams are important because they can detect eye conditions and vision problems in their early stages when they are more easily treatable. The eyes are said to be the windows of the soul, but did you know they can also show early warning signs of diabetes and high blood pressure? Of course, they also provide an opportunity to update glasses or contact lens prescriptions to help correct vision.

Our eye exams

Our eye test takes approximately 45 minutes and provides an in-depth examination of your eyes. We break this down into 4 steps.

1. A pretest is done by a team member, which provides useful information for the optometrist, as well as measurements needed for glasses.
2. The main examination uses the most advanced technology and equipment to check your vision, how well your eyes work together, any muscular issues, eye pressure and a look at your front and inner eye.
3. An OCT eye scan comes next, which allows us to generate a 3D image that shows us the back of your eye in precise detail. We may also carry out additional visual tests, if necessary.
4. Our final step is a glasses fitting if needed. With our Zeiss Visufit 1000 machine, you can effortlessly virtually try on as many glasses as you’d like. It provides a 180-degree image, in full 3D – a fantastic addition to the glasses we stock in our practice.

For those over 40 years old, we may need to use eye drops to dilate your pupils during your eye exam, and driving is not recommended immediately after as your eyes will be more sensitive to light.

What exactly is an OCT eye scan?

OCT stands for Optical Coherence Tomography and is a great advancement from previous retinal imaging technology. It produces a highly detailed 3D scan of your eye, allowing our experts to see all elements of your eye, including the retina and optic nerve at the back.

Analysing the different layers and structures provides us with a higher level of accuracy to pinpoint exact locations of even the tiniest changes that aren’t visible during a regular eye exam, making detecting issue earlier and diagnosing them a lot easier.

An OCT scan facilitates the early detection of eye-damaging diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, retinal detachments, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy well before you begin to notice symptoms. This is why having them done regularly alongside your eye exam is such an important part of monitoring your eye health and preventing permanent damage to your vision.

Book your eye test – Wexford  

We’re proud to provide one of the most comprehensive eye tests Wexford has to offer and encourage all our customers, new and existing, to book an eye exam, with the option of adding an OCT scan – especially if it’s been several years since your last visit, or if you feel you might have issues with your vision.

Feel free to contact one of our friendly team in Wexford, or book yours online easily today.