​Whether you need eye care in Spanish or English, you can expect your comprehensive eye exam to last 45 minutes or less, so you can get back to your day fast.​
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• Medical and ocular history: prior and current systemic conditions affect the eyes as do current medications (both over-the-counter and prescription). We also need to know about any history of eye diseases, surgeries or traumas.

• Case history: Also known as the chief complaint (cc). Often begins with the question why are you here today? Or, what brings you in today? And hopefully ends with: we can take care of that.

• Screening visual field testing: not for everyone but is used to evaluate peripheral vision.

• Autorefractor: In pre-test room. Look at the hot air balloon and instrument measures your eyeglass prescription without asking better one or two.

• Intraocular pressure: In pre-test room. Takes the pressure inside the eyes. Part of glaucoma screening.

• Visual acuity measurements: Tells me how well you see. Often tested at 20 feet and customary near distances (reading, computer, etc).

• Ocular muscle balance and coordination: Look at the letter and follow it with your eye if it moves. Testing the muscles that position and move your eyes. Often the cause of double vision and / or headaches.

• Subjective refractive error measurements: Is it better one or two? Here is where the eyeglass prescription is determined. However, there are many other factors involved that make this aspect of the examination an art as well as a science.

• Near task performance assessment: Finding the correct prescription for your various near tasks. Also an art as well as a science.

• Anterior segment evaluation with a biomicroscope: Put your chin in the holder and your forehead against the top and I look at the front of your eyes with a lot of magnification and a strong light. Used for checking the health of the front of the eye, evaluating cataracts and contact lens positioning and movement.

• Retinal evaluation: Here is where we get up close and personal. I look at the back of your eyes for all the things you don’t want. I am leaning more and more toward retinal photography as it gives us a great look and is part of your permanent record.

• Diagnosis and patient education: Here’s where we discuss my findings and I try to explain the hows and whys. Some science, mostly art.

• Plan of treatment: Now that we know what’s wrong, these are my suggestions about what to do. This part should end with me telling you that you should return in a specific length of time, usually one or two more years.