B-Town Eyecare
SEE BETTER. FEEL BETTER.
Adult Eye Exams
“Why Do I Need an Eye Exam if I’m Seeing 20/20?”
Proactive care is key.
We have all heard that you shouldn’t wait to see your Dentist until you have a toothache. The health of the tissue is equally important.
Similarly, an eye exam will tell you a lot about your overall health. That is why it is important to get your eyes examined annually, even if you don’t require glasses or contact lenses.
Reasons Why You Need an Eye Exam
Improved Vision
As people age, both children and adults, vision changes. Aging can lead to a range of vision conditions, such as presbyopia, nearsightedness and farsightedness. Only thorough and precise eye exams will be able to verify your accurate prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses. We use Digital Refraction to ensure ultimate precision and a comfortable eye care experience.
Eye Health Check
We will use advanced digital technology and cutting-edge diagnostics to inspect your ocular health. Many common eye diseases, including cataracts,
diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, do not present symptoms until a late stage of the disease, when vision damage may already have
occurred. However, when Dr. Bansal performs your comprehensive eye exam, we
will be able to uncover the early signs of disease – so you can receive beneficial treatment as soon as possible to prevent vision loss.
Treatment of Eye Disease
If there are issues that you present with, or are diagnosed during your exam, we will provide you with a treatment plan and discuss the options with you. Our doctor is highly trained, experienced and knowledgeable. If there are treatments indicated beyond her scope of practice, she will make sure you are referred to a well respected specialist.
Understanding How Your Eye Health Impacts Your Overall Health
Your eyes give our eye care professionals a view of
your general body health. Specific diseases, such as high cholesterol,
diabetes, and high blood pressure, can be seen on your inner eye tissues before you notice any problems. When these dangerous health conditions are left
untreated, they can cause damage to your eyes and the rest of your body. If we detect any of these signs, we’ll refer you to the most appropriate local
medical care provider.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
Did you know the national average of face time a patient spends with a doctor is less than three minutes?
Dr. Bansal knows and understands the time you spend together is an investment in lifetime vision. Therefore, we will take the time you need to answer all your questions and help you understand not just your results, we’ll help you learn all that you can do to get the best vision possible.
Your eyes truly are a window to your overall health and can provide early indicators of serious health issues. While an annual eye exam will help maintain optimal vision, it may also save your life.
THE COMPREHENSIVE EYE EXAM
When you first visit B-Town Eyecare, we take great pride in ensuring that your experience is everything we would expect ourselves.
A comprehensive eye examination includes a patient history, preliminary entrance and binocular vision tests, eye refraction (vision test) to determine your prescription, and dilation to fully assess the ocular health of your eyes from the outside structures all the way inside the eyes. Dr. Bansal takes the time to review the results of all the testing in detail and will take the time to answer your questions.
Most visits will last about 60-90 minutes depending on your time in the optical department, and if additional testing is needed.
WHY IS DILATION NECESSARY?
Having your eyes dilated can help diagnose many eye conditions and systemic health issues, including:
Eye tumors
Diabetic retinopathy
Macular Degeneration
Glaucoma
Retinal detachments
Ocular Impacts of Certain Medications
Eye dilation can even help diagnose underlying health problems that could affect your vision, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, vasculitis, and infectious diseases.
20 Health Problems an Adult Eye Exam Can Identify
Your eyes are windows to the function of the blood vessels, nerves and connective tissues throughout your body. Problems spotted in the eye are often the first signs of disease elsewhere. Below are 20 conditions that may be detected during a comprehensive eye exam:
Aneurysm
Brain Tumor
Cancers of blood, tissue or skin
Diabetes
Giant cell arteritis
Heart Disease
High Blood Pressure
High Cholesterol
Lupus
Lyme Disease
Medication Toxicities
Multiple Sclerosis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Sarcoidosis
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Sjogren’s Syndrome
Stroke
Thyroid Disease
Vascular Disease
Vitamin A Deficiency
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOUR EYES ARE DILATED
Why Do Eye Doctors Dilate Your Eyes?
When your pupils are small your eye doctor has an extremely limited view of the optic nerve and the retina. To see and evaluate your entire retina, the pupil of each eye needs to be dilated. A comprehensive adult eye exam will include dilation of the pupil to ensure that the doctor can adequately view the internal structures of the eye.
Why is Eye Dilation So Important?
An eye doctor dilates the pupils of the eye to provide the best view of the optic nerve and retina. This provides a window through which the eye can be intimately examined, allowing for early observation of potential problems. When dilated, the pupil widens and allows your eye doctor to see more than is possible in an eye exam without dilation, including a better view of the optic nerve, retina, arteries, veins and the macula.
A dilated adult eye exam will allow your eye doctor to diagnose common eye diseases and other systemic conditions. Many systemic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and elevated intracranial pressure are often first diagnosed during an eye exam due to symptoms that are visible inside the eye. Therefore, eye doctors often want to dilate your eyes to ensure there is no early evidence of these conditions.
ADDITIONAL FAQs ABOUT DILATION DURING AN ADULT EYE EXAM
Explore some of the frequently asked questions regarding dilation by clicking below.
What is Dilation?
This is done using specially formulated eye drops. Once they have been administered to each eye, it takes roughly 15 to 30 minutes for the pupils to fully dilate. This time can vary from one individual to the next and the dilation effect typically around 2 to 4 hours (for some, even longer) to fully wear off. Please keep in mind that children often need a different type of dilation drops, which may result in them remaining dilated for 24 hours.
How Long Does Dilation Last?
Drops are used that cause the pupil to remain in a dilated state. Once applied, the effects last for around 4-6 hours. During that time, you’ll be far more sensitive to light. This is because the pupil is unable to constrict. You will need to wear sunglasses while you wait for your pupils to return to their normal function.
Are There Any Side Effects to Being Dilated?
Although pupil dilation is essentially harmless, while the drops are still active you may experience some short-term side effects. These may include some or all of the following:
Moderate to severe sensitivity to light
An inability to focus on close objects (like your phone)
Blurred vision
The feeling of tight eyelids
You might also experience stinging for a few seconds or minutes after the drops are applied. This usually wears off quickly.
Other Considerations
Contact lenses cannot be worn until the effects of the dilation drops have ceased
Children are usually dilated with a drop where the drops last longer – expect them to be dilated approximately 24 hours. Please be aware of this if your child has schoolwork to do the same evening of the eye exam as they will experience blurry vision with near work.
Your eye doctor cannot tell you how blurry your vision will be and for how long. That depends on the type of dilating eye drop used and how your eyes react.
It may not be safe to drive yourself after having your eyes dilated. If you feel uncomfortable or have been dilated before for an extended amount of time more than the usual 2-4 hours, you should have someone drive you after your appointment.
Your eyes are more than just your window to the world. They play a critical role in your quality of life and can also serve as indicators for a wide range of other health conditions. Having a comprehensive adult eye exam performed each year (which should include dilation) will go a long way toward ensuring the health of your eyes, while helping identify other serious conditions before they can rob you of your most important sense.
Request Your Appointment Today!
If you’d like to find out more about our practice or would like to schedule an appointment
with B-Town Eyecare, we invite you to give us a call today at 206.242.8545 or,
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Hours
Monday | 9:00 – 5:30pm |
Tuesday | 9:00 – 5:30pm |
Wednesday | 9:00 – 5:30pm |
Thursday | 9:00 – 5:30pm |
Friday | 9:00 – 3:00pm |
