1. What can I expect from a complete eye exam?
   •  A complete eye exam is performed to assess and correct your vision and diagnose ocular disease.  It includes a thorough refraction to determine your prescription for eyewear, assessment of ocular motility and ocular health exam.  You will also receive advice on the best eyewear options and on your eye health status.  An average exam takes approximately 20 minutes.

 

2. What can I expect from a dilation exam (DFE)?
   •  A dilated fundus exam (DFE) allows for better viewing of structures within the eye.  You will arrive at the office where eye drops will be instilled to relax the iris muscles that control the size of the pupil.  The average exam time, including the time it takes for the drops to take effect, is approximately 30 minutes.  The dilation can last 4 to 8 hours on average so having a driver is advised.

 

3. What can I expect from a Contact Lens assessment?
•  A contact lens assessment can be done in addition to a complete eye exam upon request.  Your contact lens assessment includes a determination of the best type of contact lens for you, assessment of the contact lens vision and fit, and further advice on lens care.

 

4. How often should I get my eyes tested?
   •  Everybody has different needs for their eyes so it is advised that you ask one of our doctors or staff for further information.  In general, the following guidelines are what our clinic recommends:
   • Healthy adults:  every 2 years
   • Contact lens wearers:  yearly
   • Seniors and Children:  yearly
   • Diabetes or other ocular disease:  yearly dilations

    

1. When should I bring my child in for his/her first exam?
   • The Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends a child have his/her first exam at 6 months of age.  A child should have a comprehensive exam by 3 years of age.  All children should have exams yearly. 

 

2. What can I expect from a pediatric exam?
   • Every pediatric exam is tailored specifically to each child’s abilities and needs.  Most exams include a variety of tests including vision assessment with complete refraction to determine if a prescription for eyewear is necessary, ocular motility testing, stereopsis and colour vision testing, and an ocular health exam.  The average pediatric exam lasts approximately 15 minutes.

 

3. What can I expect if my child needs to have eye drops at their exam (cycloplegic refraction)?
   • For some children, it may be recommended that they have a cycloplegic refraction.  This procedure involves instilling drops into the child’s eyes to dilate the pupil and relax the focusing muscles inside the eye. This helps the doctor to further assess and finalize the prescription. The drops take 30 minutes to take full effect and the side effects include blurred vision, light sensitivity and occasionally fatigue that can last 8 hours on average. The entire exam, including waiting for the eye drops to take effect, lasts approximately 40 minutes.

 

4. What is Eye See, Eye Learn?
   • The Alberta Association of Optometrists along with school boards across Alberta have worked together to create the Eye See, Eye Learn program.  This program was created to educate parents on the importance of eye exams for their children.  The goal is to have all children have a complete eye exam at or before kindergarten age.  This pre-school eye exam helps to prevent unnecessary vision loss from amblyopia (lazy eye) which may lead to learning difficulties. Be sure to ask our doctors or staff about the program at your child’s next eye exam.

    

1. What is ocular health?
   • It is the examination of different structures in and around the eyes to determine the overall health
   • Ocular health is assessed at every full eye exam. 

 

2. Why check my ocular health?
   • Ocular health is examined to screen for potential diseases such as:
   • Glaucoma
   • Age related macular degeneration (AMD)
   • Cataracts
   • Diabetes
   • Infections
   • Allergies
• Many eye diseases can occur without symptoms so it is important to have routine examinations

 

3. Who is covered for eye exams?  
   • Children <19 years:  All exams are covered by Alberta Health Care
• Seniors >65:  All exams* covered by Alberta health care
• Adults 19-64:
  •  Routine exams:  Private pay
  • medically necessary exams*^:  Covered by Alberta health care

*some exceptions include: Contact Lens assessments, photos, GDx or other imaging, refractive surgery assessments.  Limited number of appointments covered per coverage year.  Ask Doctors or staff if unsure about coverage before examination
^medically necessary as defined by negotiations between the AAO and Alberta health and wellness

What can go wrong?

Teen goes blind from wearing coloured contact lenses

American  Academy of  Ophthalmology  member  Dr. Thomas  Steinemann
did a case report in 2005 on 17 teens who developed medical complications 
from wearing coloured contact lenses purchased without eye care professional
supervision.  A 14 year old required a corneal transplant and another teen went blind - permanently.

Teen Gets Acanthamoeba  Keratitis from Cosmetic
Contact Lenses

A 17 year old girl did all the wrong things with her cosmetic contact lenses.
She purchased them online, wore them regularly, and occasionally cleaned
them with tap water. Cell samples were collected from the contact lenses,
storage cases and a corneal scraping of her eyes. A cell culture showed she
had a bad case of Acanthamoeba keratitis . She got lucky. After three
months of polyhexamethylene biguanide and chlorhexidine treatment , her
vision returned.