Your Optician will take several steps to ascertain your need for spectacles and prescription. We use a computerized test chart which uses random letter sequences to eliminate inaccurate vision measurements due to remembering letters. It also enables us to use numbers, lower case letters and pictures for children and those who have difficulty reading.

There are four areas to vision assessment.

Vision with current spectacles

Vision will be checked at distance and/or reading whilst using current spectacles..

Unaided Vision

This is the vision without spectacles or contact lenses. It may be checked for both distance and reading vision.

Vision with current spectacles

Retinoscopy

 This gives the optician an objective measurement of your prescription. This will be the starting point for the next stage, refraction. The Optician will dim the lights and use a retinoscope to shine a light into your eyes; we look at the reflection from this light and from this can estimate your prescription.

 Here the optician refines the prescription by showing you a series of lenses to find the exact prescription you need. We take steps to ensure the prescription is balanced between the eyes and comfortable for all the tasks you perform from day to day e.g. Driving, VDU work etc.

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