When it comes to the matter of eye care, people now have access to a wide range of screening technology and procedures. With the advancement of technology, there are many ways to screening a patient’s vision and get results that could impact eye health.
True enough, vision screening has come a long way since the eye chart during your younger days.
If you are one of those people who are struggling to understand your vision screening results, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we made a quick guide to help you understand your screening results.
Visual Acuity Test
A visual acuity test is a type of screening that checks how well your eyes can discern shapes and details. It’s one of the main factors of overall vision health. Other factors include peripheral vision, depth perception, and color vision.
A visual acuity eye exam is performed by either an optometrist, optician, ophthalmologist, technician or nurse. There are many different types of visual acuity exams and most of them are fairly simple. Also, there’s no risk associated with this type of eye exam and no special preparation required.
Purpose of Visual Acuity Tests
Visual acuity tests are commonly conducted among children. Early vision screening and detection of vision problems are instrumental in preventing issues before they get worse. You also need vision screening if you’re experiencing any issues or change with your vision. A visual acuity test is one of the more comprehensive eye exams that you can take.
Understanding the Results
You probably heard about having 20/20 vision. This is how visual acuity results are presented, as a fraction. If you have a 20/20 vision, this means that you have normal visual acuity at 20 feet away from a certain object.
If your visual acuity is not 20/20, there’s a good chance that you’ll need contact lenses, corrective glasses or surgery. It’s also possible that you’re suffering from an eye condition that requires treatment.
Spot Test
A spot test is a vision screening exam that uses the latest vision screeners. Instead of the good old eye chart, a small handheld device is used to perform the test. Infrared light and some other factors are used to examine the patient’s eye and compares the information with his or her age. This is to decide whether an additional evaluation is needed.
What is Detected?
The spot test does a great job of detecting the most common eye conditions including myopia, astigmatism, refractive errors, and many others.
One notable benefit of the spot test is that it can be performed in a matter of seconds. This is a good thing especially if you’re testing children who can’t sit still.
Understanding the Results
After the spot test, you’ll be given a one-page summary that details the tests and results. On this summary page, you’ll be advised whether to get additional exams or acquire prescriptive glasses or lenses.On the right side, you’ll see the “yes” or “no” box. A checked Yes box means you need to get another vision screening test for problems such as farsightedness.
In general, spot tests are highly accurate. However, even if you’ve received a “no” but still experiencing vision problems, a complete eye exam is recommended.
Vision Screening Technology and You
By having more understanding of your vision screening results, you’ll know about the issues that you might be suffering from and take steps to prevent or treat the problem. Contact us at Depisteo with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your vision or different screening options.