How To Prepare For Your Eye Exam
If you have an eye exam scheduled, then you should prepare for this exam like you would any other medical test. However, since the examination involves the eyes, there are a few specific things you should be doing in preparation.
Understand Your Family History
Your family history is extremely important when it comes to your health, and this is no exception when it comes to your eyes and vision. However, you need to know the specific of eye-related health issues as well as other general ones. For example, you want to know if there is a history of glaucoma, macular degeneration, or retinal detachment in your family. Also, you should know if cataracts are a concern or if anyone has developed eye cancer or experienced an acquired blindness condition.
In addition to these eye problems, you should understand if your family has any chronic conditions that can affect the eyes. These issues include hypertension, kidney disease, and heart failure.
If you are currently experiencing high blood pressure and your readings have been higher than normal, then you should also inform your eye professional of this. High blood pressure can damage the eyes and affect the vision in both short and long term.
Do Not Stress Out Your Eyes
If you typically work on the computer or if you have a job that requires you to focus your vision on a specific task or object, then you probably do not want to make an appointment for an eye exam right after you finish work for the day. If you do, then your eyes may be too strained to acquire an accurate reading of your visual acuity. This is due to the spasms of the eye muscles and of the stressing of the fibrous tissues attached to your pupils.
So, you want to make sure that your eyes are relaxed when you make arrangements to see your optometrist or ophthalmologist. Make an appointment on the weekend or on a day after you have had one or two days off.
You should relax your eyes as much as possible as well, so do not read a great deal before your eye test. You can also use warm compresses on your eyes to relax them or you can simply close your eyes for a short period of time.
If you want to know more about eye exams and what you should be doing before your appointment, speak with an eye care or vision professional.
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