Understanding Medical Eye Exams vs. Routine Vision Exams

When getting an eye exam, many people think it is all about a doctor determining whether you need eyeglasses or updating your current lens or glasses prescription. They don’t usually think of it as a medical or health exam. To help you understand what you’re actually getting, Vienna Eyecare Center discusses the difference between a medical eye exam and a routine vision exam.

What Is a Medical Eye Exam?

After your brain, your eyes are the second most complex organ in your body. Oftentimes, your eyes act as a window through which a doctor can see other things going on in your body. High blood pressure, strokes, tumors, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases are known to manifest as different symptoms in the eyes, allowing professionals to detect conditions or diseases that might otherwise be missed. 

Of course, the inside of the eye also has the potential to develop its own conditions, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, corneal dystrophy and more. These are all medical issues with the eyes that cannot be fixed with glasses or contacts. During a comprehensive medical eye exam, these are the things that your eye doctor will be looking for.

What Is a Routine Vision Exam?

A routine vision exam is used to assess how well you can see at different distances. During this exam, your eye doctor will determine your prescription by doing a refraction test and assessing whether or not you will benefit from refractive error correction devices, such as contact lenses or glasses. Along with the refraction, you will receive an overall evaluation of your eyes to ensure they are healthy and there are no medical issues arising.

Vienna Eyecare Center is a vision care clinic specializing in eye exams, eyeglasses and contact lenses. Call (571) 520-4232 to learn more about our top-quality services or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment. We serve patients in Fairfax, Reston and Tysons Corner, VA.