WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR FIRST EYE EXAM AT SPECTACLE

So you’re thinking about coming in to get your first eye exam at Spectacle?! First of all, good thinking! You may have read our previous blogs about all the reasons why we think your annual eye exams are so important or maybe you’re having new vision changes or dryness, but either way, we are so happy to see you soon! Next up, schedule your appointment by calling our office or booking on this website using the black banner at the top of the page.

Now that you have an appointment scheduled, you can fill out your “paperwork” (that is really all electronic now!) ahead of time using your patient portal or here. You’re also more than welcome to fill this out on our iPad at the time of your appointment. These forms are just for us to get more information about you, your health, and how you use your eyes. Sometimes medical conditions or medications can cause changes to your eyes. We also know lots of computer use has an effect on your eyes as do your hobbies and how you use your eyes in your free time. So all those questions we ask do really have a purpose, we promise!

Next up, one of our technicians will take you into our pretest room to get your exam started. Here we get an initial look into why you are here and what your eyes are looking like. They will start with a machine to get a rough prescription of your eyes today. We call this the starting point because it usually isn’t 100% accurate, but it gets us in the ballpark. Then they will check your side vision, your depth perception, color vision and what you can see with and without your glasses. If you opted to do the photo of the back of your eye instead of dilation (another good choice, might we add!), they will also help to take that photo so we can look at it in the exam room together. This will help us to determine the health of the back of your eyes, rule out any diseases, and ensure the overall health of your body as well. Yep! Sometimes we can find diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol issues, to name a few, FIRST!

After a few minutes, one of our doctors will meet you in the exam room. Be patient, sometimes they are reviewing your paperwork, the tests you just performed, and especially the photos of the back of your eye, prior to coming in to get started. They will then ask in your words a little background about what brings you in. It’s always best to hear from you just what is bugging you about your glasses or your eyes so they can address it as best as possible! Next, they’ll check out more of your eyes… your eye pressure (don’t worry, no air puff here!), your eye muscles, your glasses prescription (yes, the infamous “1” or “2” test), your front of the eye health and go over the photos of the back of your eye with you or dilate your eyes.

The most important part though, we think, is what happens at the end… we discuss your eyes with you after we have done everything. We love our patients to know their eyes inside and out! We want to answer any and all questions, put you at ease, show you your old vs. new glasses, maybe even measure out where your computer is and put on a sample pair of glasses to ensure the new prescription is spot on, or test out those contacts looking at a further distance down the hall or out at cars in the parking lot.

From here, we will head to the front where Dr. K will help you with the final steps. We will print out a copy of your prescription(s), find a perfect pair of glasses if you are interested in getting glasses, or place your contact lens orders. When it comes to utilizing your insurance benefits or finding the right glasses, we take just as much pride in getting everything perfect for you outside of the exam room! Dr. K will always go over every detail line by line to make sure we are ordering exactly what you want, using your insurance as best as we can, and saving you as much as we can as well.

That pretty much sums it up! But if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out and we are happy to help answer any other questions before, during, or after your exam. We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!