Don’t Wait For Your Next Eye Examination - Do This Now!

I’m a retired optometrist and there are some simple things I often wished people did before visiting the practice for an eye examination.

I’ve lost count of the number of times a patient arrived for a test, oblivious to the fact that one of their eyes has already failed significantly. As soon as the remaining good eye is covered, the problem is revealed.

Unfortunately, examination sometimes then shows it’s a problem that’s well past the easy stage of treatment.

So - here’s a simple guide to help you identify uncommon (but potentially huge) eye problems at the earliest possible stage. Please take a moment to check your vision now - these tests are very quick and easy to do.

1. Just cover up each eye in turn (use your your hand - couldn’t be simpler) - and look out the window. Pay attention to the view - cars on the street, buildings across the road … Then swap to covering the other eye. Do you get the same vision from your right and left eyes? Unless you’re already aware of a long term reason why one eye is significantly poorer than the other, if you feel one is is well below your normal level of vision, you need to book that eye test as a priority. Otherwise, if you think yep, both are pretty similar … that’s a great start!

2. Next (as before, one eye at a time) look at the frame of the window - is it straight? If there are waves or kinks that follow your gaze as you glance from top to bottom, that needs a prompt investigation (unless you know this hasn’t changed since your last eye examination).

3. Does either eye seem to have bits of debris floating about? A few little specs would be normal for most people - but the thing is, is this something new to you? Sudden onset new floaters are not to be ignored - and you know what I’m going to say next - see your optometrist ASAP!

4. Check how your reading is - again, comparing one eye to the other - all good there?

5. Checking your side vision is similarly easy - pretty much as when checking your vision for detail, close or cover one eye. This time, look straight ahead and stretch your arm out - use your thumb to explore the limits of your vision off to the side, high up and low down, just by waggling your thumb around while you keep staring straight ahead.

Again, you’d expect both eyes to have similar (mirror) fields of view, unless you already know a reason why one is letting you down. If there’s an obvious patch missing from the vision of one eye compared to the other - guess what - that’s another reason to get an urgent check.

[The only exception to this is if you've happened to find your natural blind spot - and well done if you have, it means you’ve performed a pretty detailed examination of your visual field! For the right eye, your natural blind spot is to the right hand side of the thing you're fixing your gaze on, about one fifth of the way out to the limit of your vision. It covers about 2-3x the size of your thumb, when your arm is outstretched. As you'd expect, the left eye's blind spot is a mirror of the right. These natural blind spots (just the one in each eye) are normal, but cool to find - you see your thumb partially disappear as it moves into that area - as long as you can keep your eye steady enough!]

If you’ve passed these few simple test for detail, peripheral vision and distortion - CONGRATULATIONS! Just don’t think you’ve got an excuse to avoid your routine exam!

Everyone should have a check at least every alternate year - and more frequently if there’s any eye disease in your family (like glaucoma) or if your health puts you at greater risk of eye problems (things like diabetes or poorly controlled high blood pressure).

So - now I’ve hammered home the message about having your eyes tested regularly, here are some other things I’d like you to consider:

Before attending an optometrist’s clinic, even for just a routine scheduled appointment, just take a moment’s pause for thought:

Are your eyes feeling OK? Dry eyes can be pretty uncomfortable with a range of symptoms from burning to itching. This is well worth mentioning as your optometrist can check to see if you might benefit from eyedrops / warm compress therapy / lid massage.

Do you ever see a ring around oncoming headlamps? Or any other sort of weird haloes in your vision? This again is something to tell your optometrist about.

Have you seen flashes of light when you know there’s no light in reality? If you’re sure this isn’t a migraine-type visual disturbance, this warrants a visit as a matter of urgency, as would a recent significant increase in bits floating about in your vision.

Going to the optometrist is for most people only an every-other-year kind of a thing - so make the most of your visit with a little forethought. Optometrists are good guys, keen to help with any eye-related problems you might have. Giving them a heads-up about anything unusual you’ve noticed about your vision can sometimes provide an early warning to identify a condition that might be harder to treat further down the line.

Please accept this as intended - general encouragement to look after your eyes, not specific, individual medical advice. And it’s written in the hope of helping you to avoid eye problems, not just to make your optometrist’s job easier - Scout’s honour!

With all my best wishes for life-long good vision

Brendan