A lot of tests need to be undertaken for proper evaluation of your eyes and check it for the presence of diseases. The doctor may use some strange instruments and flash bright light at your eyes, and would ask you to check out many lenses to ensure which one you are most comfortable with. Every eye test does an evaluation of a different aspect of your eyes. Like any other disease, it is important to go for eye tests regularly since early detection would count for timely treatment. So find a good ophthalmologist in your area and get your eyes checked regularly.

The test will begin with your ophthalmologist asking you a lot of questions included in his questionnaire which would involve questions about the history of your eye's health and if you find anything wrong with your vision, etc. After that, he/she will determine your power by asking you to identify small letters on an eye chart. Refractive errors will also be checked by him/her. If your eyes have a refractive error, it would mean that your eye's shape does not properly refract the external light, resulting in a blurred image in front of your eyes. These errors are just simple eye disorders, and not actually diseases.

There are 4 kinds of refractive errors:

• Myopia: Called nearsightedness, there is difficulty in seeing objects which are located at a distant place.

• Hyperopia: Called farsightedness, there is difficulty in looking at the nearby objects.

• Astigmatism: In this case, vision seems blurred both for close-by and far-off objects as well.

• Presbyopia: In this case, the eyes, over a period of time, lose the ability of changing the focus from far-off to near objects.

Most people suffer from one or some of these errors. The ophthalmologist may suggest wearing glasses or contact lenses for their correction, or he may even go recommend a refractive surgery. He would also test for the eyelid functions, the co-ordination between the muscles of the eyes, the response of the pupil to light, side vision, the pressure within the eyes, etc.

He would also examine the anterior of the eye, the region from the lens which includes the iris and the cornea. The interior would be checked as well, like the retina. After the examination, the results would be discussed with you, and suggest treatment like using eye drops, etc. for any of the eye disease as he may find.

Sometimes, a few eye diseases need a laser surgery to be performed. The ophthalmologist may take care of some of the treatments, or if there is a problem in a specific area, he may refer you to a specialist in that field, like a retina specialist or so. If your exam is held in a doctor's chamber where there is no facility of making glasses, you may take the prescription to any optician of your choice.

This may take a few days as it takes time to find an optician and also for the glasses to be made. However, if the optician also works in the same place as your ophthalmologist, the glasses may be made and delivered to you on that very day!