Eye Examinations & Eye Health
At Specialeyes Newcastle, your eyes are our priority. Regular eye examinations are vital to detect vision problems and identify eye health issues from childhood through to advanced age. We recommend a comprehensive eye examination every 2 years for adults, and for children, prior to commencing school and then regularly throughout the school years.
Our comprehensive eye examinations take around 30-45 minutes and are carried out by our fully qualified and highly experienced optometrists.
During your eye examination with us, we will:
take a detailed eye and general health history from you
discuss your lifestyle, work and leisure habits
test your visual acuity (how well you can see) at various distances to determine your prescription
check for eye abnormalities and eye diseases including glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataract and diabetic eye disease
provide you with lifestyle and diet suggestions which support good eye health
discuss with you the options for your vision, including prescription glasses and sunglasses, contact lenses and other forms of visual therapy
When your eye examination is completed, we’ll run through our findings with you, taking the time to answer any questions you may have. At Specialeyes Newcastle, there is no “one size fits all” solution – we pride ourselves on quality care of each patient. We will tailor a vision solution specifically for your needs.
Eye Health Assessments
Detecting even the slightest change in your eye health can be the key to stopping eye disease in its tracks. That’s why at Specialeyes Newcastle, we’ve invested in state-of-the-art technology to assess your vision and eye health and monitor any changes. Our optometric equipment allows us to comprehensively screen your eyes and can detect the early signs of glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other forms of acute and chronic eye disease.
OCT – Optical Coherence Tomography
OCT scans are proving to be one of the most valuable tools in the detection and diagnosis of eye disease. They are important as they can detect changes in the eye’s structure before a patient may realise that anything is amiss. A timely OCT scan can literally save your sight. We recommend an OCT scan for all our patients over the age of 40 years.
An OCT scan assesses 4 important eye structures – the optic nerve, the nerve fibre thickness, the number and thickness of neurological cells at the macula and the eye’s internal drainage system. This non-invasive computerised technique is easy to perform and Susan obtains the results immediately. If loss is discovered, prompt treatment can begin to minimise the risk of further vision loss. That’s why it’s so important to regularly check your eye health through an OCT scan and comprehensive eye test with Specialeyes Newcastle.
Digital Retinal Imaging
Having a photographic record of your eye health is an indispensable tool in monitoring any changes during your subsequent visits to us. Subtle changes can take place over time which may lead to compromised vision or vision loss. At Specialeyes Newcastle, we recommend digital retinal photography to all our adult patients so that we can keep this vital eye health information recorded through digital retinal imaging. This ensures that we can identify and follow up even minor changes to your eye health.
Visual Field Test
A visual field test is performed to identify any loss of peripheral vision or blind spots (scotomas) which can occur through eye health diseases such as glaucoma or through neurological conditions.
During your comprehensive eye examination at Specialeyes Newcastle, we may recommend a visual field test to assess your full vertical and horizontal range of vision. This provides us with a ‘baseline’ from which to assess any future changes in your visual field.
A visual field test is non-invasive and easy to perform. It takes around 30 minutes and again, Susan obtains your results immediately. This allows her to assess any vision loss and put in place any follow-up testing or referral to an ophthalmologist.