eye disorders
Overview of Refractive Disorders
Diagnosis of Refractive Disorders
Eye examination, including measurement of visual acuity Everyone should have regular The Eye Examination by an ophthalmologist (a medical doctor who specializes in the evaluation and treatment [surgical and nonsurgical] of eye disorders) or an optometrist (a health care practitioner who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of refractive errors). This eye examination should be repeated every 1 or 2 years. Screening children helps detect refractive errors before they interfere with learning. During the examination, an eye chart is used to determine sharpness of vision (visual acuity). Visual acuity is measured in relation to what a person with normal (unimpaired) vision sees. For example, a person with 20/60 vision sees at 20 feet (about 6 meters) what a person with normal vision sees at 60 feet (about 18 meters). In other words, the person must be 20 feet away to read letters that a person with normal vision can read from 60 feet away. Although refractive errors usually occur in otherwise healthy eyes, testing generally also includes assessments unrelated to refractive error, such as a test of the Visual Field Testing , eye pressures, and eye movements. 