What to expect during an eye exam in Olympia

Published on

November 16, 2022

In this blog, we will discuss what you can expect during a comprehensive eye exam at our office in Olympia Washington. Each eye exam is different from the other and may address a specific eye condition such as low vision, dry eye, post trauma etc.

What should you expect during an eye exam?

If you are a new patient, you will need to fill out some paperwork, nothing too complicated. Our technician will then take you to a room for pre-testing once you're done with that. They will run you through some machines and gather some data for our eye doctor to look at during your eye exam. After that, our eye doctor will call you into the exam room. They will ask you questions such as what brought you here? What symptoms are you experiencing? Do you notice any changes in your vision? Do you wear any prescription glasses or contacts? Do you have any family history of any eye disease or any other disease? And other questions that would help our eye doctor with an accurate diagnosis and then treatment.

Once that's done, we start checking your vision, which if you wear glasses is done with your glasses on or if you don’t wear glasses, we check your vision without glasses. Our next step is to check additional things like your eye alignment, eye movement, and peripheral vision. Next, our eye doctor will check your visual acuity. If you need a prescription or your prescription has changed, we will do testing for near and distance vision. After that, we will check your eye health.

Will my eyes be dilated during an eye exam?

Depending on your age, eye diseases, eye health and pupil size, we may or may not dilate your pupil. We dilate your pupil by putting a drop in it, which causes the pupil to widen, allowing our eye doctor to see the back of your eye to check for retinal diseases.

Our eye doctor will have you sit in the exam chair in front of the slit lamp whether you are dilated or not. It is an instrument with a big microscope and a light attached. It allows them to look at both the front (cornea) and the back part of your eye (retina). It is at this point that we will determine if you have any conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure which could lead to eye conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, retinal detachment, dry eye, or any other eye condition.

After assessing you, our eye doctor will discuss the findings of the eye exam, such as how the condition is progressing, treatment options, and management. Please feel free to ask our eye doctor any questions during any part of the eye exam.

Schedule an eye exam in Olympia, WA

Our advanced medical and speciality eye care practice offers different types of eye exams. To learn more about the different eye exams we offer or to schedule an eye exam, you can call us at (360) 491-2121 or visit our website at https://amplifyeyecareolympia.com/appointment-request-form/

Patients searching for advanced medical eye care visit our clinic from all over Washington, and we are proud to be a leading provider of medical eye care services for patients from Olympia, Lakewood, Tacoma, and Lacey.

Testimonials

Such a nice optician. My grandson is only 4 and needs glasses. We were so sad, but he explained the issues, and we will follow up as he suggested.

Anna P.

I had such a good experience with the clinic. Very friendly staff and doctor, did not have to wait for long to be called, and was treated respectfully. Thanks, American Family.

June S.

Dr. Zurcher has gone above and beyond what any other eye doctor has ever done to figure out what is going on with my eyes. Very happy with American Family Vision.

Christine R.

Family Vision Clinic changed our lives! My daughter was frequently car sick, and she was getting headaches every day, often painful enough that they brought her to tears. We saw a string of doctors and therapists, but we made no progress. Finally, we found Dr. Levi Zurcher and his eye therapist Rain. After ten weeks of eye therapy my daughter no longer gets headaches, and she no longer gets car sick. Daily tears are a thing of the past. I really can’t say enough about this clinic. It was fascinating to watch Dr. Zurcher work. For the first time, someone who knew what they were doing was intently studying my daughter, really trying to figure out all of her eye issues, and his therapist Rain is one of the most patient and lovely people that I’ve ever had the good fortune to meet. We’re finished with eye therapy—yay!—and I have switched to American Family Vision Clinic for all of my family’s other eye health needs.

Lars Wulff

Very professional, yet kind and helpful. They do what they can to make the appointment comfortable. I was running a bit late, I made sure ti call. They were able to switch me with a patient who was already there, they treated me with respect, and helped my son have confidence by getting him the eye care he needed that day. Thank you so much! Would recommend to anyone. It's a blessing that they care enough to work with people who have all different types of insurance from work to state coverage.