Visual Field Testing

A visual field test measures the range of your peripheral or “side” vision to assess whether you have any blind spots (scotomas), peripheral vision loss or visual field abnormalities. It is a straightforward and painless test that does not involve eye drops but does involve the patient’s ability to understand and follow instructions.

An initial visual field screening can be carried out by our Arlington optometrist by asking you to keep your gaze fixed on a central object, covering one eye and having you describe what you see at the periphery of your field of view. For a more comprehensive assessment, special equipment might be used to test your visual field. In one such test, you place your chin on a chin rest and look ahead. Lights are flashed on, and you have to press a button whenever you see the light. The lights are bright or dim at different stages of the test. Some of the flashes are purely to check you are concentrating. Each eye is tested separately and the entire test takes 15-45 minutes. These machines can create a computerized map out your visual field to identify if and where you have any deficiencies.

Autorefractor

Tired of going through the classic line of questioning at the eye doctor: “Which lens is better? This one, or this one?” Never quite sure you chose the right one? What if we told you that you’ll never have to go through that endless interrogation again? Welcome to the next generation eye exam, with auto-refractor technology!

The auto-refractor is a digital refractor that works much the same way as the old fashioned phoropter. The big difference is that, instead of the doctor manually clicking through, asking you to decide for yourself which lens is best (which is especially hard when the lenses are very nearly the same!), the auto-phoropter is controlled electronically and measurements are done digitally. This not only shortens the amount of time it takes to decide which lenses will provide you your best vision correction (super helpful when trying to get your little one to stop squirming and co-operate with the process!), but also ultimately results in a more accurate eyeglasses or contact lens prescription.

Quick, comfortable, accurate and convenient is the name of the game with the auto-refractor. We have it here, so why go anywhere else?

Slit Lamp Biomicroscopy

The patient is seated at the examination chair, resting the chin and forehead on a support to steady the head. Using the biomicroscope, Dr. Siegel examines the patient’s eye. Utilizing different types of clinical dyes such as a fluorescent dye, Lissamine green dye or Rose Bengal dye, it is possible to evaluate the tear film on the surface of the eye to facilitate diagnosis. The dye is naturally rinsed out of the eye by tears. The slit lamp exam may detect many diseases of the eye, including: eyelid diseases such as Blepharitis, Conjunctivitis, Cataracts, Corneal Injuries and diseases such as Keratoconus, retinal diseases such as Macular Degeneration and Retinal Detachment, Dry Eye conditions such as Sjögren’s syndrome and inflammatory diseases such as Uveitis.