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Testing Procedures
As a patient at our office, you will undergo a variety of testing. Some of these test may be conducted at other locations, but you will be made aware of this prior to leaving our office.
Dilation
To view the back of your eye, your doctor will use a bright light to complete the exam. Dilating drops are applied to your eyes 20-30 minutes prior to seeing your doctor to allow time for your pupils to fully dilate. This prevents your pupils from constricting in response to the bright light needed to conduct the exam. Dilation tends to last 4-6 hours, making some people`s vision blurry, difficult to read, and sensitive to light. We recommend you bring a driver with you or arrange another method of transportation home following your exam. Also bring sunglasses for your own comfort.
Tonometry
This test is helpful in determining the pressure inside your eye. At our office we do not use the non-contact method with the air puff. Instead we use a tonopen, a pen like device that touches your eye, on the central cornea, to measure the pressure inside your eye. We apply a freezing drop/local anesthetic to the outer surface of your eye prior to the measurement. This prevents you from feeling the pen touch your eye. This test is used to screen for glaucoma.
Vision test
Your vision will be checked by one of our technicians, who will have you read from a screen at the other end of the room. This is done with the use of a Snellen eye chart, where you will read from the largest letters down to the smallest letters you can see.
OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography)
We use this machine to take high-resolution images of the tissues of the retina inside your eye, focusing around the area of central vision, the macula. These photos are often taken at each visit and in combination with a physical eye exam with your doctor, they are used to determine any changes in your condition. This machine is especially helpful as it provides a measurement of your retinal thickness each visit.
Fluorescein Angiogram (done at the Royal Alex only)
A fluorescein angiogram is a series of photographs taken as dye travels through the blood vessels of the retina. The yellow fluorescein dye outline circulation, identifying abnormalities in the tiny blood vessels. The angiogram helps your doctor to diagnose, treat and monitor the progress of your eye disease.
This test requires your eyes to be dilated prior to the photos being taken. It also requires the injection of fluorescein dye into a vein in your arm to make the retinal blood vessels visible to the camera. This injection will be completed by a doctor or nurse, and the needle will be removed once the injection is complete. The pictures need to be taken quickly and require you to sit still, and move your eyes as the photographer tells you. These photos will be sent back to our private office once they are complete.