What Really Happens During Your Eye Exam

Is it going to hurt? Am I going to get the puff of air? Will I get dilated? These are some of the most common questions we hear before a patient's eye exam even begins. If nerves about your upcoming visit are holding you back from scheduling, here is what actually happens so you know exactly what to expect.

The test most patients dread is called tonometry, and it measures the pressure inside your eye, an important number for catching early signs of glaucoma. There are a couple of ways we can check it. One method uses a quick, painless puff of air. Another uses a handheld device that gently touches the surface of the eye for a fraction of a second. Many patients assume any device brought close to their eye during pretesting is the puff of air test, even when it is not. In reality, most of our pretesting equipment, like our auto refractor, which estimates your prescription, never touches your eye and does not involve any air at all.

Not every visit requires dilation. Your doctor will let you know if it is needed based on your eye health history, your age, and what they see during your exam. If you do need dilated drops, expect some light sensitivity and blurry near vision for a few hours afterward, so it is worth bringing sunglasses just in case.

No. Every test in a routine comprehensive eye exam is designed to be painless. At most, you might feel a light touch or a brief puff of air, both of which pass in a second. Our technicians walk you through each step before it happens, so there are no surprises.

Before you ever sit down with the doctor, our technicians bring you into a pretest room to run through a series of quick, simple measurements, checking your current prescription, eye pressure, and overall eye health markers. This helps your doctor spend your appointment time focused on you, not on setup.

Your visit typically starts in the pretest room, where our technicians capture measurements and imaging. From there, you will meet with your doctor of optometry for a full refraction and health evaluation of your eyes. If anything unexpected comes up, like early signs of dry eye or glaucoma, your doctor will walk you through next steps right there in the room.

Now that you know what is actually involved, there is no reason to put off your next visit. If exam day nerves are part of why you have been putting things off, let our front desk or technicians know when you arrive. Book your appointment at any of our nine Connecticut locations today.