Comprehensive Eye Examination
It's more than just an eye chart - a complete, comprehensive eye exam is actually a detailed examination of your visual ability, vision and eye health. This examination is defined in regulation under Ontario's Health Insurance Act as:
- Relevant history (ocular medical history, past medical history, family history)
- Visual acuity examination
- Ocular motility examination
- Refraction and the provision of a written refractive prescription if required
- Slit lamp examination of the anterior segment (biomicroscopy)
- Ophthalmoscopy by one of direct, binocular indirect ophthalmoscope, monocular indirect ophthalmoscope or non contact fundus lens
- Advice or instruction to the patient
And if required in accordance with generally accepted professional standards, any or all of the following elements:
- Tonometry
- Visual field examination by confrontation field
- Dilated fundus examination by one or more of direct, binocular indirect ophthalmoscope, monocular indirect ophthalmoscope or non-contact fundus lens
If the eye examination reveals that a vision problem exists and treatment with eye glasses or contact lenses is recommended, all of the information obtained from the examination is considered and a formula for eye wear is then determined. That formula becomes the prescription and cannot be determined unless all of the above elements of an examination have been performed and the results considered together.
