Exams For Your Eyes
At VanBuskirk Opticians, we strive to provide comprehensive, primary eye care for the whole family. Preventive and routine eye exams are essential to maintaining good eye health. Often, eye and vision problems do not have obvious symptoms or signs but are easily diagnosed by a licensed optometrist. By analyzing eye and vision conditions early on, our optometrist can provide treatment options and, in many cases, restore vision or prevent vision loss. The American Optometric Association recommends yearly or bi-yearly eye and vision exams, depending on whether you are at-risk or not.
Eye Exam and Consultation
During an eye exam, Dr. Salvatore DeCanio, OD, FAAO, will ask you questions about any symptoms or issues you are experiencing, medications you are currently taking, blurry vision, work environment, etc. your overall health. Family history and previous eye or vision conditions will also be discussed during this part of the examination. Dr. Salvatore DeCanio, OD, FAAO, will consider this information when determining any treatments or recommendations.
Vision Testing
Regular vision testing and evaluations ensure that you always have the clearest vision possible. Our Naples optometrist provides standard vision acuity tests as part of a comprehensive eye exam. Salvatore DeCanio, OD, FAAO, will measure how each eye sees by using a wall eye chart and a reading eye chart. The results of these tests are portrayed as a fraction, with 20/20 being the standard for average distance and reading vision. Depending on your vision test results, Dr. Salvatore DeCanio, OD, FAAO may prescribe corrective glasses, contacts, or eye exercises.
Eye Function Testing
In addition to vision testing, an eye exam in our Naples office includes testing eye functionality. Our optometrist performs several tests to evaluate depth perception, color vision, eye muscle capabilities, peripheral vision, and responsiveness to light. Several other simple tests are completed to determine whether the eyes focus, move, and work together correctly. The test results enable Dr. Salvatore DeCanio, OD, FAAO, to diagnose any underlying conditions that may be impairing the eye’s ability to focus or work together.
Eye Health
As part of a comprehensive eye exam, our optometrist examines the eye’s overall health through a visual examination and tonometry. Dr. Salvatore DeCanio, OD, FAAO, evaluates eye health by visually inspecting the eye and eyelids using magnification and a bright light. To examine the internal structures of the eye, we may dilate the pupils. Increased eye pressure may be an indicator of glaucoma, so we utilize tonometry to measure eye pressure. After completing these short tests, Dr. Salvatore DeCanio, OD, FAAO, reviews the results and discusses any necessary treatment options with you. Contact us at (239) 649-1011 today to schedule a comprehensive eye exam.
Testing Your Eye Sports Vision
Sports vision testing helps athletes determine how well their eyes perform. These tests go beyond standard eye tests that only evaluate the ability to see letters and objects on a standard eye chart. Sports vision testing takes eyesight evaluation one step further, vital to overall athletic training, and explicitly enhancing visual function.
While sports vision testing can vary greatly depending on an athlete’s specific needs, in general, sports vision testing can be beneficial for assessing athletic abilities associated with hand-eye coordination, eye tracking, and depth perception. If you are a local athlete looking to improve your performance, Dr. Salvatore DeCanio, OD, FAAO, can help.
Sports Vision Training Enhances Athletic Performance
Our Naples optometrist offers several different vision tests for assessing athletic performance and capabilities. The first test is the classic Snellen Eye Chart. Patients are asked to read lettering on a standard eye chart that is placed 20 feet away. You must identify the letters along with the increasingly smaller sizes until the letters can no longer be identified. Usually, the 20/20 line is the fourth from the bottom; if you can correctly read this line, you have 20/20 vision. If you can read the smallest line, then you have 20/15 vision. This basic eye test is essential for identifying an athlete’s visual acuity.
While correcting visual acuity can seem like an obvious step, some athletes are unaware that they suffer from an undetected refractive error. Refractive errors are any different size and shape abnormalities that affect the eye’s ability to focus light on the retina, affecting vision. Depending on your athletic goals, you may wish to undergo a vision correction procedure like LASIK, which could eliminate the need for glasses and contacts.
Contrast sensitivity is also necessary for athletic performance. During a contrast sensitivity test, you will be asked to identify parallel gray stripes’ orientation against backgrounds of various colors. The locations gradually begin to match the shades of the lines. Low contrast sensitivity, especially in low-light conditions, will make it more difficult to track objects. A variety of solutions can be useful for addressing contrast sensitivity concerns. These solutions include wearing eyeglasses with a special lens tint to increase visibility, depending on your vision needs.
Ocular alignment tests, like the Hirschberg test, evaluate how well both eyes work together. Alignment problems are detected by analyzing specific points on the cornea where reflections occur. Dr. Salvatore DeCanio, OD, FAAO, also recommends eye dominance tests. Dominance is determined by focusing on an object as it moves closer; when one eye diverges or loses focus, the other eye is dominant. If one eye loses focus too soon, you may be suffering from binocularity, a condition where both eyes struggle to work together to manage depth perception and visual coordination.
Athletic performance is not only enhanced in the gym; it also requires excellent visual processing speed and hand-eye coordination. Contact our local optometrist to learn more about the benefits of sports vision training and schedule your sports vision test today.