Adult Vision Exams

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 major cause of blindness in North America, can cause up to 50% vision loss before people ever notice any changes in their vision. Regular vision examinations are also important for the prevention of vision problems created or aggravated by today’s academic and professional demands. Our comprehensive full health vision examinations now include retinal imaging with our state of the art retinal camera. This cutting edge technology allows for earlier detection, management and routine screening for health problems in the interior of the eye.

At Panorama Optometry we are a full service optometry clinic and dispensary. Our dispensary has over 700 stylish designer frames to fit any taste and budget.  High quality lenses are cut in our in-house digital laboratory ensuring you fast service. We also specialize in contact lens fitting, dispensing and follow-up. We take pride in ensuring each patient enjoys the utmost in quality and comfort from thier eyewear.

21st century lifestyles demand more from our vision than ever before. Adults in our technological society 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 therapeutic lenses and/or Vision Therapy.

Testing For More Than 20/20

20/20 just means that the person can clearly see a certain letter on the standard eye chart (equivalent to what a person with normal vision should be able to see at 20 feet). There’s so much more to healthy vision than 20/20!

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 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. In addition, the health of your eyes, inside and out, is carefully evaluated for such problems as cataracts, glaucoma, hypertension, diabetes, macular degeneration, etc.

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 Information Processing (VIP) Testing

Visual Information Processing testing is comprised of a series of tests that are designed to identify strengths or weaknesses in the following areas:

• visual motor integration
• visual perception including:
  • visual memory
  • form perception
  • visual discrimination
  • directionality
  • laterality
  • auditory
  • visual integration
• perceptual motor abilities
• auditory analysis screening
• motor screening

The Visagraph II Computerized Eye Movement Recording Test may be performed depending on reading ability. This instrument uses goggles with infrared optics to test reading efficiency number of fixations, regressions and other characteristics of eye movement during reading.

The time required for the VIP testing is usually 1½-2  hours and is done by a Vision Therapist on a one-one basis with the patient. Upon completion of this testing, scores will be tabulated and a written summary will be provided to you during your consultation with the Doctor. Recommendations will be included as to whether vision therapy might be helpful or if referral to another professional (such as tutor, psychologist, etc.) is appropriate.