Adult Vision Exams

Vision Exams for Adults


The American Optometric Association recommends a yearly eye exam for adults — not only to detect and to diagnose vision changes or problems — but, also to maintain eye health. For example, glaucoma, a disease caused by increased pressure in the eye, commonly goes unnoticed by adults. Regular vision examinations are also important for the prevention of vision problems created or aggravated by today’s academic and professional demands.

21st century lifestyles demand more from our vision than ever before. Given our highly technological society, many adults constantly use their near vision at work and at home. Environmental stresses on the visual system (including excessive computer use or close work) can sometimes induce headaches and/or visual difficulties which can be effectively treated with corrective lenses and/or Vision Therapy. If you use a computer please measure the distance from your eyes to your computer and bring it with you to your exam.

The health of your eyes, inside and out,is very important. To obtain the best eye health evaluation, dilation of the eyes is stongly recommended. During this evaluation we will look for problems such as cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, hypertension and diabetes to name a few. A visual field test will help determine if you are seeing in all parts of your visual field.

What to expect on the first appointment:

We strive to make your visit as enjoyable and pleasant as possible. In order to get a good eye health evaluation, Dr. Grant will most likely want to dilate your eyes. This can cause blurred vision and light sensitivity so make sure to bring your sunglasses or we will give you some. Your visit will take at least 1.5 hrs if your eyes are dilated.

In order for you and or your child to receive full attention, please refrain from bringing other siblings to the appointment.

Additional visits beyond the basic exam may be necessary if:

  1. more information is needed than what can be attained during the basic exam
  2. you or your child has special needs or concerns
  3. your child is struggling in school he/she may need a visual processing evaluation.
  4. You or the patient have had a head injury or stroke

For your first visit please bring:

All Current glasses and Current contact lens RX (or the boxes)

  • (daily wear, computer, sewing, sun etc), if you like an old prescription better, bring it and the newer one

For young children and those with attention difficulty:

  • Favorite DVD
  • Favorite small fixation target

For infants:

  • Favorite fixation targets
  • Favorite blanket/toy

The PLUS of our practice
Testing for More than 20/20 (done at all comprehensive exams)

20/20 simply means that a person can clearly see a letter a certain size at a 20 feet under high contrast. But there’s more to healthy vision and 20/20 and that’s the PLUS of our practice!

Our comprehensive vision exam goes beyond 20/20 to evaluate many important visual skills, such as:

  • Visual Acuity at Near

    Is vision clear and single at close distances? Clear sight at short distances is critical to reading, writing, close work, computer use, etc.

  • Eye Teaming Skills

    Do the two eyes aim, move, and work as a coordinated team? Weaknesses in binocular (two-eyed) vision and eye teaming skills can cause numerous difficulties, including convergence insufficiency and poor depth perception.

  • Eye Focusing Skills

    Do the eyes maintain clear vision at varying distances? Rapid, automatic eye focus adjustment is critical to learning, reading, writing, sports, etc. Deficiencies can cause visual fatigue, reduced reading speed and comprehension, and/or avoidance of close work or other activities.

  • Eye Movement Skills

    Do eye movements show adequate muscle control, tracking, fixation, etc.? In the classroom, normal eye movements allow rapid and accurate shifting of the eyes along a line of print or from book to desk to board, etc. In sports, efficient eye movements contribute to eye-hand coordination, visual reaction time, and accurate tracking.

  • Above are just a few of the many visual skills evaluated during our comprehensive vision exam.

Do you treat or diagnose learning problems, disabilites, dyslexia?

We thoroughly evaluate the visual system as it often can affect one’s ability to learn. For example, these types of problems could cause difficulties in reading (losing place, skipping words, blurriness, headaches, fatigue, tired eyes, etc.), or writing (difficulty with coloring, staying on the line), or in sports. Even if the patient can see well, there may be other significant visual problems hindering one’s ability to learn. To thoroughly diagnose learning disabilities or dyslexia, a full neurological, psychological or educational battery of testing and consultation must be given.

Visual Processing Evaluation

Evaluation of visual processing skills allows us to better understand how a person LOOKS (gathers their visual information), LISTENS, THINKS (processes their visual information) and DOES (responds to it). This evaluation is often beneficial when a person is having difficulty with learning or has other visual dysfunctions. The evaluation assesses the following:

  • more in depth testing of eye movement, eye teaming, and focusing skills
  • visual perceptual skills : visual memory, figure ground visual discrimination, similarities and differences, visual form, visual spatial relationships, laterality/directionality, recognition and execution of reversals
  • visual motor integration
  • auditory-visual integration
  • brief auditory screening
  • gross motor screening

Depending on age and reading ability of the patient, testing with the Visagraph II may be done. The Visagraph is a computerized eye-movement recording system that measures various functions (number of fixations, number of regressions, length of fixations, rate of reading with comprehension) during the reading process.

The results of this evaluation are provided in a readable detailed report which includes Suggestions for the Teacher. A consultation with the parents of the child or the adult who was tested is provided to help you understand the findings and recommendations.

This evaluation takes approximately 1 ½ hrs. There is a one way mirror for the parent(s) to observe. Siblings are asked to remain in the play area. If they need supervision, please bring someone to watch them.