Most people think of an eye exam as being the responsibility of the eye doctor to carry out. To a large extent, this is true. Your eye doctor is the one who went to school and obtained a medical license, and it is their expertise you are relying on. But you do have a small amount of responsibility as a patient, too. Here are some tips that you can follow to help ensure a successful eye exam.
1. Bring your glasses
This is especially important when you are visiting an eye doctor who you have not seen before. Your eye doctor can look at the glasses to determine what your current prescription is, which will help them prescribe you the perfect lenses this time around. Without your glasses, they will only be able to consider how well you are seeing right now. You then won't know if the new glasses you're getting are stronger, weaker, or the same as your current ones, which can make things a bit surprising when you first try them on.
2. Know your family's eye history
Remember that when conducting an eye exam, your doctor is not just measuring your vision. They are also looking for other potential eye health problems, such as glaucoma, ocular cancer, and cataracts. Many of these eye conditions have a genetic component. So if you are able to share your family's eye health history, your eye doctor will have a better idea of which conditions, specifically, they should look for. Call your parents and grandparents, and ask about any eye conditions they have had. Share this information with your doctor.
3. Keep a list of concerns
Sometimes patients sit down in the eye doctor's chair, and suddenly they are unable to remember any of the questions they previously had about their eyes and eye health. To avoid this issue, keep a list of concerns or questions you have about your eyes in the days leading up to the exam. Just write things down or make a note in your phone. These concerns can be anything from your eyes feeling tired when you wake up to your eyes feeling dry after a workout session at the gym. Asking your eye doctor such questions can make your eye exam a more educational experience, and it can also turn your eye doctor on to other issues they might want to be looking for.