George Optical Optometrists are all licensed, highly qualified, experienced, dedicated and caring. Doctors of optometry (1) examine the human eye through the employment of subjective and objective procedures for the purpose of determining the condition and acuity of human vision; (2) prescribe and dispense ophthalmic lenses, prisms, contact lenses and their accessories and solutions, low vision aids, frames and their accessories, and supplies for the purpose of correcting and treating defects, deficiencies and abnormalities of vision; (3) counseling of patients with regard to vision and eye care and hygiene; and (4) other preventive or corrective measures or procedures for the aid, correction, rehabilitation or relief of the human eye, or to attain maximum vision and comfort.

Comprehensive Eye Exams

Annual eye exams are recommended as a part of preventative eye health care. Individuals can be unaware of the existence of vision problems because there are often no obvious signs or symptoms. It is important to detect and treat vision problems early in order to maintain good vision and eye health. Eye exams may include:

• Patient History – An investigation of the patient’s vision discomforts, vision requirements, general and eye health background through a series of questions.
• Visual Acuity – Evaluates how clearly each eye is seeing at far and at near.
• Preliminary Tests – Evaluates specific aspects of visual function and eye health.
• Keratometry – Measures the curvature of the cornea - the clear outer surface of the eye. This is important for determining the “base curve” of the contact lenses.
• Refraction – Determines the appropriate lens power to compensate for errors of refraction such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism or presbyopia.
• Eye Focusing, Eye Teaming, and Eye Movement Testing – Asses accommodation, ocular motility and binocular vision to determine how well the eyes function individually and together.
• Eye Coordination – Ability of both eyes to work together. The brain fuses the images each eye sees in order to create one clear picture. Eye coordination is a developed skill and done properly, keeps the eyes in proper alignment. Poor eye coordination is often successfully treated with eyeglasses or the correction of other eye conditions, such as nearsightedness and farsightedness.
• Eye Health Evaluation – Examines the external and internal parts of the eye, including the cornea, eyelids, conjunctiva, surrounding eye tissue, lens, and retina. Doctors may also measure the pressure within the eye to determine possibility of glaucoma.
• Supplemental Testing – Additional testing to confirm or rule out possible problems, and to provide clarification or further assessment.

Vision Conditions

Following are Vision Conditions that regularly scheduled eye exams can prevent or allow for early detection and treatment.

• Myopia (Nearsightedness) – Condition in which near objects are seen clearly, but distant ones are out of focus. This occurs if the eyeball is too long or the cornea has too much curvature. Nearsightedness is very common. Eyeglasses or contact lenses can correct nearsightedness and may be necessary for certain activities, including watching a movie or TV screen.
• Hyperopia (Farsightedness) – Condition in which distance objects are seen clearly, but close ones are out of focus. This occurs if the eyeball is too short or the cornea does not have enough curvature. Symptoms include difficulty concentrating and maintaining focus on close objects, eye strain, fatigue and/or headaches, aching or burning eyes, discomfort after long-term concentration. Comprehensive eye exams are necessary to determine farsightedness, as common vision screenings often cannot detect the problem.
• Presbyopia – Loss of flexibility in your eyes’ crystalline lens, causing difficulty focusing on close objects. This is a natural part of aging, typically occurring in the early to mid-40s. Signs include reading at arm’s length, blurred vision and eye fatigue. Presbyopia is not a disease and cannot be prevented.
• Astigmatism – Causes blurred vision due to the irregular shape of the cornea or the curvature of the lens inside the eye. The irregular shape prevents light from centering on the retina and creates blurred vision at any distance. This is a very common condition and often occurs with other vision conditions, such as nearsightedness and farsightedness. Astigmatism can be treated with eyeglasses, contact lenses, orthokeratology (treatment to reshape the cornea), and/or laser and other refractive surgery procedures.
• Strabismus (Crossed Eyes) – Occurs when one or both of the eyes turns in, out, up or down. This is often caused by poor eye muscle control. Treatments include eyeglasses, prisms, vision therapy, and sometimes, surgery. If detected early, it can often be corrected.
• Amblyopia (Lazy Eye) – Loss or lack of development in one eye. Often associated with crossed-eyes or large differences in degrees of nearsightedness and farsightedness between the two eyes. Lazy Eye cannot be corrected with lenses. Treatments include prescription lenses, prisms, vision therapy and eye patching.
• Spots and Floaters – Small cloudy specks or particles within the vitreous (clear fluid that fills the inside of the eyes), caused during formation of the eyes before birth, deterioration of the vitreous fluid from aging, or some eye diseases or injuries. This condition rarely has an effect on vision and typically found to be harmless.