Comprehensive Eye Exams in Nashville, TN

Most people are no strangers to receiving routine eye examinations. In fact, children commonly are given vision screenings at school, and adults may be made to take them for work purposes. Vision tests are also done when applying for a driver's license. However, doing well on a vision evaluation doesn't mean you are clear of any eye disease. A simple acuity exam can't provide a full assessment view of your total eye health. For that reason, receiving a comprehensive eye exam biennially is extremely important.

At Wang Vision Institute, comprehensive eye wellness evaluations are a combination of multiple testing procedures that allow our skilled team of optometrists and ophthalmologists to assess your full eye health. This is especially important as a lot of dangerous, vision-threatening diseases, such as glaucoma, won't give any warning signs.

Remain aware of your ocular health by scheduling eye appointments every year with Dr. Ming Wang, Dr. Josh Frenkel, or a member of their team at our Nashville, TN office. It is especially important to go to an ophthalmologist if it has been over 24 months since your previous comprehensive evaluation or if you have observed any issues with your eyes or ability to see clearly.

Having thorough eye exams on a regular basis is essential for all adults and children. This is true, even if you haven't felt or seen any indications that there's a problem. Patients who are 18 – 40 years of age need to have their eyes evaluated every year. Men and women in their 40s or beyond should have eye health assessments about every year as well. Thorough ocular assessments can also reveal other major yet controllable medical concerns, like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and retinal holes or tears.

Patients need to also remember that it's important to set up comprehensive eye assessments for their younger children. Data has told us that one-fourth of kids have a vision impairment. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), children should receive their initial ocular assessments at six months of age. Children should go again just before beginning school. Experts recommend that children have their eyes examined every year, even if they appear to have perfect vision. Children's eye checks are especially important due to the current extreme increase in myopia (nearsightedness), which can be linked to a drastic increase in the use of mobile devices.

On the day of your appointment, we ask patients to bring their glasses and contacts, as well as an up-to-date list of any prescription and over-the-counter drugs they are taking. Usually, eye exams at Wang Vision Institute take around an hour. Your assessment will begin with a routine visual acuity test to establish how clear your sight is. If it's determined that you could benefit from corrective lenses, we will perform refraction testing to determine what your refractive prescription is. For refraction testing, we use a view-finder type device to determine what photos you see as distinct or hazy.

Then, we will perform a visual field test, which measures the range of your peripheral vision, as well as aids in spotting certain other eye conditions. From there, we might examine your eyes for strabismus (crossed eyes) and amblyopia (lazy eye) by using a cover test. As its name implies, we cover your eyes, one after the other, and have you look at a specific area, which allows us to observe how your eyes work together. We will also have you hold your head still and follow a pointer light with only your eyes.

Lastly, we will perform a slit lamp test to provide an enlarged, full-aspect three-dimensional view of certain parts of your eyes, such as the upper and lower lids, conjunctiva, cornea, iris, and lenses.

It can be helpful to enlarge the pupils to thoroughly examine the health of the retina, retinal blood vessels, optic nerve, and the macula, and to look for signs of glaucoma. We might have to widen your pupils to complete more tests, depending on how old you are and the primary reason for your appointment.

At Wang Vision Institute, we are able to perform dedicated diagnostic evaluations for men and women who are experiencing or have an elevated potential for certain major eye conditions, including diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. With most eye conditions, early detection and diagnosis are vital to receiving effective medical care. Therefore, attending regular comprehensive eye exams is truly important.

Glaucoma
To look for and determine the presence of glaucoma, we will carry out further tests besides those done during your comprehensive exam. These will include testing the pressure inside your eye, as well as the pachymetry test, which measures the thickness of the cornea. At Wang Vision Institute, we do not use the air puff test like many other practices.

Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Edema 
If we think you may be at risk for diabetic retinopathy or macular edema, we will need to dilate your pupils using eye drops to access a better look at your retina. Dilation allows us to look for any impairment of the retina and irregularities in the retinal blood vessels. 

In many cases, the detection of retinal damage is a patient's initial hint that they have diabetes. In other cases, it can be evidence that they haven't been handling their blood sugar as properly as they should be. For this reason, it's vital to regularly include an evaluation for diabetic retinopathy, regardless of whether you've been diagnosed with diabetes.

After your comprehensive eye exam is complete, someone will talk to you about setting up your next visit. Your age, results, related health factors, and more will help determine your most effective timing between eye exams. Even people who get perfect results need to continue to have eye exams once every year. That way, if any problems crop up, they will be caught and addressed quickly. You might have to schedule another appointment for further testing or treatment if a member of our team finds any signs of a possible issue. Keep in mind that if we dilate your pupils, you may have to bring a friend or family member to drive you home after your appointment.

Many patients don't think about their eyes until a vision problem is noticed, but the health of our eyes extends further than only vision. We encourage you to plan comprehensive eye health exams for your whole family with Dr. Ming Wang, Dr. Josh Frenkel, or a member of their Nashville, TN team. Wang Vision Institute uses innovative equipment and tests to examine your eyes so that any concerns are caught and treated right away.