Comprehensive Eye Exams

It is important for everyone to take care of their vision. As part of that, our Denver eye exam specialists recommend having an eye exam at least once per year, so that our optometrists can catch and correct any potentials issues earlier rather than later.

For adults, it is critical to preserve eyesight into the future. In some cases, problems might fester under the surface without showing any symptoms. Some of the most common conditions include diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and cataracts.

The sad reality is that too many people in the United States forgo a regular eye exam. By the time people schedule an eye exam due to problems with their vision, it might be too late. According to the CDC, less than half of the people in this country who are at risk of losing their vision have seen an optometrist in the past 12 months.

When someone comes to see us for an annual check up at one of our Denver eye exam clinics, our goal is to perform a comprehensive test of someone’s vision. To that end, the following will take place:

• Acuity: We will ask our patients to read a chart at the end of the room. This will be done with each eye separately. We use this to test someone’s vision.
• Fields: We will also test someone’s vision in each individual field. We want to make sure that our patients can see clearly out of each part of their eye.
• Pressures: We will use a small device to test the pressure behind each individual eye to make sure there are no signs of glaucoma.
• Retinas: Finally, we will dilate each eye to get a better look at the retinas. We will take a look at the nerves and blood vessels to make sure that we are not missing anything.

After the exam, we will provide our patients with the results and make sure that there is nothing acute going on.

At ICON Eyecare, we have teams of doctors who work together to provide holistic care for your eyes. Two kinds of specialists can oversee your care: an ophthalmologist or an optometrist. Both are highly-trained professionals capable of performing a variety of services to support your eye health.

• Ophthalmologist: An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor (MD) or doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) who has completed extensive training in eye disorders beyond their four years of medical school.
• Optometrist: An optometrist earns a Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree by attending a four-year postgraduate program. These eye care specialists diagnose and treat vision disorders ranging from low vision to refractive errors to dry eye. They can prescribe medications as well as corrective eyeglasses and contact lenses.

The main difference between these two professionals is that an ophthalmologist is trained to perform eye surgery while an optometrist is not. Additionally, ophthalmologists often specialize in the treatment of specific, complex medical eye conditions. In most cases, an optometrist will oversee your regular eye exams and provide nonsurgical therapies. If you need surgery, you’ll be directed to an experienced ophthalmologist.