How long does an eye exam take?
Eye examination is an important means to prevent and diagnose eye diseases, but many people have doubts about the time of eye examination. How long does it take? Let me introduce it in detail.
Preliminary inspection
Eye examination usually starts from preliminary examination, which is mainly carried out by nurses or doctors. First, the doctor will ask about the medical history to find out the patient's chief complaint and whether there is family eye disease and other information. Next, the doctor will perform a vision test, which is usually performed by asking the patient to read letters or numbers on the standard vision chart. This process only takes a few minutes. Later, the doctor will also check the pupil, and judge whether there is any abnormality in the eye by observing the size, shape and response to light of the pupil. This part of time usually only takes a few minutes.
The next step is the intraocular pressure test, which is to exclude the possibility of glaucoma. The doctor will use an instrument called tonometer, place it in front of the patient's eyes, and then use a small machine to gently touch the patient's eyes. This process usually takes only a few seconds to basically determine whether the intraocular pressure is normal.
Further inspection
If problems are found in the preliminary examination or further confirmation is required, the doctor may require further examination. One of the common examinations is fundus examination, which can be observed through special instruments and magnifiers to diagnose diseases such as retina, macula and fundus blood vessels. This examination usually takes a long time, about 10 to 20 minutes, but the specific time will depend on the condition.
In addition, the doctor may also require an eyelid examination, mainly to observe the swelling, redness, swelling, scaling and other conditions of the eyelid to determine whether there is any eyelid disease. This examination only takes a few minutes, usually through a magnifying glass or microscope.
speciality check-up
Some special eye diseases may require further specialized examination. For example, if cataract or other deep eye problems are found in the preliminary examination, the doctor may recommend an eye ultrasound examination. In this process, ultrasound is emitted to observe the eyeball, lens and other structures, so as to understand the disease situation in more detail. Eye ultrasound examination usually takes ten minutes to half an hour.
In addition, some ophthalmic diseases may require visual field examination or color vision examination to assess the eye condition more comprehensively. These inspections usually take about ten to twenty minutes, and the specific time will vary depending on the inspection items.
Summary
To sum up, there is no uniform answer to the time of ophthalmic examination, which will vary according to the examination content, severity of disease, hospital workflow and other factors. Generally speaking, the preliminary inspection only takes a few minutes, but if there is a problem that needs further confirmation, a more complex inspection may be required, which may take a longer time. However, no matter how much time is spent, eye examination is very important, which can detect and treat eye diseases early and protect our vision health.
